



* WW /\ \l§K- ; *?X °*yjW f% 

' ^. -tellS* ^ ^ »Wff* «? °k 'Ills* a* ** o 7 

^v \*^^\/* %/^f^v* \*^^v 



3* <.°JL'*-*o. 







.♦' < 



















EDUCATION 



" That our sous may be as plants grown up 
in their youth ; that our daughters may be as 

corner-stones , polished after the similitude 
of a palace " 




BY 



ELLEN G. WHITE 



• The knowledge of the Holy is 
under s tan ding* * 



Pacific Press Publishing Company 

i OAKLAND, CALIFORNI. I 
NEW YORK SAN FRANCISCO LONDON 



LBI037 



THt library of 

CONGRESS. 
Two Copies Received 

MAR 11 1903 

! Copyright tntiy 

CUSS ft, XXc No. 
COPY B. 



Entered According /.< Acl of Congress in tin- year rpoj by 

MRS. E. G. WHITE 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, I). C. 

All Rights Reserved 

Entered at Statiotiet s' Hull, London, England 




TO 
PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND STUDENTS, 

all pupils in earth 's preparatory school, 

this book is dedicated. 

May it aid them in securing life's greatest benefits, 

development and joy in service here, 

and thus a fitness for that wider service, 

the "higher course" 

open to every human being in the 

school of the hereafter. 



Contents 



First Principles 



Page 



Source and Aim of True Education - - - ■ 13 

The Eden School ------ 20 

The Knowledge of Good and Evil - - 23 

Relation of Education to Redemption - - - 2 s 

] LL USTRA 7 IONS 

The Education of Israel 33 

The Schools of the Prophets - - - - yj 

Lives of Great Men ------ j/ 

77/ £ J/^l .5 7-£/? 7\£- .-1 C HE R 

The Teacher Sent from God - - - - - jj 

An Illustration of His Methods - 84. 

Satire Teaching 

God in Nature ------- gg 

Lessons of Life ------ Ju2 

Other Object Lessons - - - - - -113 

'The Bible as an EovcATok 

Mental and Spiritual Culture - .... I2 j 

Science and the Bible - j 2 8 

Business Principles and Methods - - - ~ 135 

Bible Biographies ------ 7 y<5 

Poetry and Song - - - - ~ *59 

Mysteries of the Bible ----- r £g 

History and Prophecy - - /-,•> 

Bible Teaching and Study - - - 185 

(9) 



io Contents 

^ Pa z e 
Physic a l Ci v. t r r e 

Study of Physiology ------ /pj 

Temperance and Dietetics - . - - - 202 

Recreation ....... 2 oj 

Manual Training ...... 214 

Character-Building 

Education and Character ----- 225 

Methods of Teaching - 230 

Deportment ....... 240 

Relation of Dress to Education - - - - 246 

The Sabbath ....... 2 $ a 

Faith and Prayer , - - - - - - 2jj 

The Life- Work ...... 2 ^ 2 

The ( t n der- Tea cher 

Preparation - - - - - - - 275 

Co-operation ...... 2 8j 

Discipline ....... 287 

The Higher Course 

The School of the Hereafter ----- 301 



Scriptural Index - 311 

General Index ...... 3I $ 



First Principles 



' //>, reflecting as a mirror the glory of 
the Lord, are transformed into the same 
u/uige from glo) y to glory" 



Sou re e and A i in of Tv u e 
Education 



'THE KNOWLEDGE OF T H li HOLY 
is^under standing; " "ACQUAINT 

NOW THYSELF WITH HIM" 



/O UR ideas of education take too narrow and too 
^^ low a range. There is need of a broader scope, 
a higher aim. True education means more than the 
pursual of a certain course of study. It means more 
than a preparation for the life that now is. It has to what is 

i -ii ill- i-ii ii i r Education 

do with the whole being, and with the whole period of 
existence possible to man. It is the harmonious devel- 
opment of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual 
powers. It prepares the student for the joy of service 
in this world, and for the higher joy of wider service in 
the world to come. 

The source of such an education is brought to view 
in these words of Holy Writ, pointing to the Infinite 
One: In Him "are hid all the treasures of wisdom." 1 
"He hath counsel and understanding."" 

The world has had its great teachers, men of giant 
intellect and extensive research, men whose utterances 
have stimulated thought, and opened to view vast fields 
of knowledge; and these men have been honored as 
guides and benefactors of their race; but there is One 
who stands higher than they. We can trace the line of 
the world's teachers as far back as human records 
iCol. 2:3. "Job 12:13. (13) 



Its Source 



14 



First Principles, 



The True 

"Higher 

/education " 



Education 
in Eden 



extend; but the Light was before them. As the moon 
and the stars of our solar system shine by the reflected 
light of the sun, so, as far as their teaching is true, do 
the world's great thinkers reflect the rays of the Sun of 
Righteousness. Every gleam of thought, every Hash 
of the intellect, is from the Light of the world. 

In these days much is said concerning the nature 
and importance of "higher education." The true 
"higher education" is that imparted by Him with 
whom "is wisdom and strength;" 1 out of whose mouth 
"cometh knowledge and understanding. '"-' 

In a knowledge of God, all true knowledge and real 
development have their source. Wherever we turn, in 
the physical, the mental, or the spiritual realm; in 
whatever we behold, apart from the blight of sin, this 
knowledge is revealed. Whatever line of investigation 
we pursue, with a sincere purpose to arrive at truth, we 
are brought in touch with the unseen, mighty Intelli- 
gence that is working in and through all. The mind of 
man is brought into communion with the mind of God, 
the finite with the Infinite. The effect of such com- 
munion on body and mind and soul is beyond estimate. 

In this communion is found the highest education. 
It is God's own method of development. "Acquaint 
now thyself with Him," 3 is His message to mankind. 
The method outlined in these words was the method 
followed in the education of the father of our race. 
When in the glory of sinless manhood Adam stood 
in holy Eden, it was thus that God instructed him. 

In order to understand what is comprehended in the 
work of education, we need to consider both the nature 
of man and the purpose of God in creating him. We 
need to consider also the change in man's condition 

IJob 12:13. "Prov. -' : 6. 3 J<>!> 22:21. 



Source and Aim of True Education 15 

through the coming in of a knowledge of evil, and 
God's plan for still fulfilling His glorious purpose in the 
education of the human race. 

When Adam came from the Creator's hand, he bore, 
in his physical, mental, and spiritual nature, a likeness God's 

_, . . . , Purpose 

to his Maker. "God created man in His own image, f 0r Man 
and it was His purpose that the longer man lived, the 
more fully he should reveal this image, — the more fully 
reflect the glory of the Creator. All his faculties were 
capable of development; their capacity and vigor were 
continually to increase. Vast was the scope offered for 
their exercise; glorious the field opened to their re- 
search. The mysteries of the visible universe — the 
"wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowl- 
edge" 2 — invited man's study. Face-to-face, heart-to- 
heart communion with his Maker was his high privilege. 
Had he remained loyal to God, all this would have been 
his forever. Throughout eternal ages he would have 
continued to gain new treasures of knowledge, to dis- 
cover fresh springs of happiness, and to obtain clearer 
and yet clearer conceptions of the wisdom, the power, 
and the love of God. More and more fully would he 
have fulfilled the object of his creation, more and more 
fully have reflected the Creator's glory. 

But by disobedience this was forfeited. Through 
sin the divine likeness was marred, and well-nigh Marred 
obliterated. Man's physical powers were weakened, Restored 
his mental capacity was lessened, his spiritual vision 
dimmed. He had become subject to death. Yet the 
race was not left without hope. By infinite love and 
mercy the plan of salvation had been devised, and a life 
of probation was granted. To restore in man the image 
of his Maker, to bring him back to the perfection in 

1 Gen. 1:27. 2 Job37:i6. 



f6 First Principles 

which lie was created, to promote the development of 
body, mind, and soul, that the divine purpose in his 
creation might be realized, — this was to be the work of 
redemption. This is the object of education, the great 
object of life. 

Love, the basis of creation and of redemption, is the 
Love basis of true education. This is made plain in the law 

the Basis of 

Education that God has given as the guide of life. The first and 
great commandment is, " Thou shalt love the Lord 
thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and 
with all thy strength, and with all thy mind." 1 To 
love Him, the infinite, the omniscient One, with the 
whole strength,. and mind, and heart, means the highest 
development of every power. It means that in the 
whole being — the body, the mind, as well as the soul — 
the image of God is to be restored. 

Like the first is the second commandment, — "Thou 
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."" The law of 
love calls for the devotion of body, mind, and soul 
to the service of God and our fellow-men. And this 
service, while making us a blessing to others, brings the 
greatest blessing to ourselves. Unselfishness underlies 
all true development. Through unselfish service we 
receive the highest culture of every faculty. More and 
more fully do we become partakers of the divine nature. 
We arc fitted for heaven; for we receive heaven into our 
hearts. 

Since God is the source of all true knowledge, it is, 

Hwehition as we have seen, the first object of education to direct 
our minds to His own revelation of Himself. Adam 
and Eve received knowledge through direct communion 
with God; and they learned of Him through His works. 
All created things, in their original perfection, were an 

' Luke id : 27. - Matt. 22 : 39. 



Source and Aim of Trice Education 



I? 



expression of the thought of God. To Adam and Eve 
nature was teeming with divine wisdom. But by trans- 
gression man was cut off from learning of God through 
direct communion, and, to a great degree, through His 
works. The earth, marred and denied by sin, reflects 
but dimly the Creator's glory. It is true that His object- 
lessons are not obliterated. Upon every page of the great 
volume of His created works may still be traced His 
handwriting. Nature still speaks of her Creator. Yet 
these revelations are partial and imperfect. And in our 
fallen state, with weakened powers and restricted vision, 
we are incapable of interpreting aright. We need the 
fuller revelation of Himself that God has given in His 
written word. 

The Holy Scriptures are the perfect standard of 
truth, and as such should be given the highest place in 
education. To obtain an education worthy of the name, 
we must receive a knowledge of God, the Creator, and 
of Christ, the Redeemer, as they are revealed in the 
sacred word. 

Every human being, created in the image of God, is 
endowed with a power akin to that of the Creator, — 
individuality, power to think and to do. The men in 
whom this power is developed are the men who bear 
responsibilities, who are leaders in enterprise, and who 
influence character. It is the work of true education 
to develop this power; to train the youth to be think- 
ers, and not mere reflectors of other men's thought. 
Instead of confining their study to that which men have 
said or written, let students be directed to the sources of 
truth, to the vast fields opened for research in nature 
and revelation. Let them contemplate the great facts 
of duty and destiny, and the mind will expand and 



Nature's 
Teaching' 

Insufficient 



The 
Standard 

of Truth 



Individuality 



1 8 First Principles 

strengthen. Instead of educated weaklings, institutions 
of learning may send forth men strong to think and to 
act, men who are masters and not slaves" of circum- 
stances, men who possess breadth of mind, clearness of 
thought, and the courage of their convictions. 

Such an education provides more than mental dis- 
character cipline; it provides more than physical training. It 
strengthens the character, so that truth and uprightness 
are not sacrificed to selfish desire or worldly ambition. 
It fortifies the mind against evil. Instead of some master 
passion becoming a power to destroy, every motive and 
desire are brought into conformity to the great principles 
of right. As the perfection of His character is dwelt 
upon, the mind is renewed, and the soul is re-created in 
the image of God. 

What education can be higher than this? What can 
equal it in value? 

"It can not be gotten for gold, 
Neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. 
It can not be valued with the gold of Ophir, 
With the precious onyx, or the sapphire. 
The gold and the crystal can not equal it; 
And the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. 
No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls; 
For the price of wisdom is above rubies." ' 

Higher than the highest human thought can reach 
Tbe is God's ideal for His children. Godliness — godlikeness 
ideal — is the goal to be reached. Before the student there is 
opened a path of continual progress. He has an object 
to achieve, a standard to attain, that includes everything 
good, and pure, and noble. He will advance as fast 
and as far as possible in every branch of true knowledge. 
But his efforts will be directed to objects as much higher 

x Job 28: 15-18. 



Source and Aim of True Education 19 

than mere selfish and temporal interests as the heavens 
are higher than the earth. 

He who co-operates with the divine purpose in im- 
parting to the youth a knowledge of God, and moulding The 
the character into harmony with His, does a high and schoT* ° rX 
noble work. As he awakens a desire to reach God's 
ideal, he presents an education that is as high as heaven 
and as broad as the universe; an education that can not 
be completed in this life, but that will be continued in 
the life to come; an education that secures to the 
successful student his passport from the preparatory 
school of earth to the higher grade, the school above. 



T h e E de n S c h o o I 



HAPPY IS THE M A N THAT 
1'IXDHTH W1SD O M ' ' 



A Model 
School 



The 
Students 



The 
School- 
room 



rHE system of education instituted at the beginning 
of the world, was to be a model for man through- 
out all after-time. As an illustration of its principles a 
model school was established in Eden, the home of our 
first parents. The garden of Eden was the schoolroom, 
nature was the lesson-book, the Creator Himself was 
the instructor, and the parents of the human family were 
the students. 

Created to be "the image and glory of God," Adam 
and Eve had received endowments not unworthy of 
their high destiny. Graceful and symmetrical in form, 
regular and beautiful in feature, their countenances 
glowing with the tint of health and the light of joy and 
hope, they bore in outward resemblance the likeness of 
their Maker. Nor was this likeness manifest in the 
physical nature only. Every faculty of mind and soul 
reflected the Creator's glory. Endowed with high 
mental and spiritual gifts, Adam and Eve were made 
but "little lower than the angels," 1 that they might not 
only discern the wonders of the visible universe, but 
comprehend moral responsibilities and obligations. 

"The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; 
and there He put the man whom He had formed. And 
out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every 

(20) 1 Heb. 2 : 7. 



The Eden School 



21 



tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; 
the tree of life also in the midst of the garden." 1 
Here, amidst the beautiful scenes of nature untouched 
by sin, our first parents were to receive their education. 

In His interest for His children, our heavenly Father 
personally directed their education. Often they were 
visited by His messengers, the holy angels, and from 
them received counsel and instruction. Often as they 
walked in the garden in the cool of the day they heard 
the voice of God, and face to face held communion 
with the Eternal. His thoughts toward them were 
"thoughts of peace, and not of evil." 2 His every 
purpose was their highest good. 

To Adam and Eve was committed the care of the 
garden, "to dress it and to keep it." 3 Though 
rich in all that the Owner of the universe could 
supply, they were not to be idle. Useful occupation 
was appointed them as a blessing, to strengthen the 
body, to expand the mind, and to develop the character. 

The book of nature, which spread its living lessons 
before them, afforded an exhaustless source of instruc- 
tion and delight. On every leaf of the forest and stone 
of the mountains, in every shining star, in earth and sea 
and sky, God's name was written. With both the 
animate and the inanimate creation, — with leaf and 
flower and tree, and with every living creature, from 
the leviathan of the waters to the mote in the sunbeam, 
— the dwellers in Eden held converse, gathering from 
each the secrets of its life. God's glory in the heavens, 
the innumerable worlds in their orderly revolutions, 
"the balancings of the clouds," 4 the mysteries of light 
and sound, of day and night, — all were objects of study 
by the pupils of earth's first school. 



The 
Teacher 



Course oi 
Study 



Original 
Research 



1 Gen. 2 : 8, 9 



2 Jcr. 29: 11. 



3 Gen. 2 : 15. 



<Job 37: 16. 



22 



First Principles 



Other 
Schools 



Purpose of 
Training 



The laws and operations of nature, and the great 
principles of truth that govern the spiritual universe, 
were opened to their minds by the infinite- Author of 
all. In "the light of the knowledge of the glory of 
God," 1 their mental and spiritual powers developed, 
and they realized the highest pleasures of their holy 
existence. 

As it came from the .Creator's hand, not only the 
garden of Eden but the whole earth was exceedingly 
beautiful. No taint of sin, or shadow of death, marred 
the fair creation. God's glory "covered the heavens, 
and the earth was full of His praise." "The morning 
stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted 
for joy." 2 Thus was the earth a fit emblem of 
Him who is "abundant in goodness and truth;" 3 a fit 
study for those who were made in His image. The 
garden of Eden was a representation of what God 
desired the whole earth to become, and it was His 
purpose that, as the human family increased in num- 
bers, they should establish other homes and schools 
like the one He had given. Thus in course of time 
the whole earth might be occupied with homes and 
schools where the words and the works of God 
should be studied, and where the students should 
thus be fitted more and more fully to reflect, through- 
out endless ages, the light of the knowledge of His 
glory. 

'2Cor. 4:6. Mlab. 3:3; Job 38: 7. »Ex.34:6. 



The Knowledge of Good 
and Rvil 



'as they refused to have 
god in their knowledge, 
their senseless heart 
was darkened" 



'TYfO UGH created innocent and holy, our first parents 
-*■ were not placed beyond the possibility of wrong- 
doing. God might have created them without the power 
to transgress His requirements; but in that case there 
could have been no development of character; their serv- 
ice would not have been voluntary, but forced. There- 
fore He gave them the power of choice — the power to 
yield or to withhold obedience. And before they could 
receive in fulness the blessings He desired to impart, 
their love and loyalty must be tested. 

In the garden of Eden was the "tree of knowl- 
edge of good and evil. . . . And the Lord God 
commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the 
garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the 
knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat." 1 
It was the will of God that Adam and Eve should not 
know evil. The knowledge of good had been freely 
given them; but the knowledge of evil, — of sin and its 
results, of wearing toil, of anxious care, of disappoint- 
ment and grief, of pain and death, — this was in love 
withheld. 

While God was seeking man's good, Satan was 

1 Gen. 2 : 9-17. (23) 



A Test 
of Loyalty 



Only Evil 
Withheld 



24 First Principles 

seeking his ruin. When Eve, disregarding the Lord's 

admonition concerning the forbidden tree, ventured to 

approach it, she came in contact with her foe. Her 

insinuation interest and curiosity having been awakened, Satan pro- 

ot Distrust _ . .. 

ceeded to deny God s word, and to insinuate distrust of 
His wisdom and goodness. To the woman's statement 
concerning the tree of knowledge, "God hath said, Ye 
shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die," 
the tempter made answer, " Ye shall not surely die; for 
God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your 
eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing 
good and evil." 1 

Satan desired to make it appear that this knowledge 
of good mingled with evil would be a blessing, and that 
in forbidding them to take of the fruit of the tree, God 
was withholding great good. He urged that it was 
because of its wonderful properties for imparting wisdom 
and power that God had forbidden them to taste it; that 
He was thus seeking to prevent them from reaching a 
Reason, nobler development and finding greater happiness. He 
Faith declared that he himself had eaten of the forbidden fruit, 
and as a result had acquired the power of speech; and 
that if they also would eat of it, they would attain to a 
more exalted sphere of existence, and enter a broader 
field of knowledge. 

While Satan claimed to have received great good by 
eating of the forbidden tree, he did not let it appear that 
by transgression he had become an outcast from heaven. 
Here was falsehood, so concealed under a covering of 
apparent truth that Eve, infatuated, flattered, beguiled, 
did not discern the deception. She coveted what God 
had forbidden; she distrusted His wisdom. She cast 
away faith, the key of knowledge. 

1 Ren. 3 : 3-5, 



The Knowledge of Good and Evil 25 

When Eve saw "that the tree was good for food, 
and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be 
desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, 
and did eat." It was grateful to the taste, and, as she sight 

versus 

ate, she seemed to feel a vivifying power, and imagined Goer? Word 
herself entering upon a higher state of existence. Hav- 
ing herself transgressed, she became a tempter to her 
husband, "and he did eat." 1 

"Your eyes shall be opened," the enemy had said; 
"ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." 2 Their 
eyes were indeed opened; but how sad the opening! 
The knowledge of evil, the curse of sin, was all that 
the transgressors gained. There was nothing poisonous 
in the fruit itself, and the sin was not merely in yielding 
to appetite. It was distrust of God's goodness, disbelief 
of His word, and rejection of His authority, that made 
our first parents transgressors, and that brought into 
the world a knowledge of evil. It was this that opened 
the door to every species of falsehood and error. 

Man lost all because he chose to listen to the 
deceiver rather than to Him who is Truth, who alone 
has understanding. By the mingling of evil with good, 
his mind had become confused, his mental and spiritual 
powers benumbed. No longer could he appreciate the 
good that God had so freely bestowed. 

Adam and Eve had chosen the knowledge of evil; 
and if they ever regained the position they had lost, 
they must regain it under the unfavorable conditions 
they had brought upon themselves. No longer were 
they to dwell in Eden ; for in its perfection it could not 
teach them the lessons which it was now essential for 
them to learn. In unutterable sadness they bade fare- 
well to their beautiful surroundings, and went forth to 

lGen.3:6. 2Gen.3:5. 



Results 
of Sin 



26 



First Principles 



Results 

Manifest 

in Nature 



The Lost 
Kingship 



dwell upon the earth, where rested the curse of sin. 

To Adam God had said: ''Because thou hast hark- 
ened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the 
tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not 
eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow 
shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also 
and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt 
eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt 
thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out 
of it wast thou taken ; for dust thou art, and unto dust 
shalt thou return." 1 

Although the earth was blighted with the curse, 
nature was still to be man's lesson-book. It could not 
now represent goodness only ; for evil was everywhere 
present, marring earth and sea and air with its defiling 
touch. Where once was written only the character of 
God, the knowledge of good, was now written also the 
character of Satan, the knowledge of evil. From nature, 
which now revealed the knowledge of good and evil, 
man was continually to receive warning as to the results 
of sin. 

In drooping flower and falling leaf Adam and his 
companion witnessed the first signs of decay. Vividly 
was brought to their minds the stern fact that every 
living thing must die. Even the air, upon which their 
life depended, bore the seeds of death. 

Continually they were reminded also of their lost 
dominion. Among the lower creatures Adam had stood 
as king, and so long as he remained loyal to God, all 
nature acknowledged his rule; but when he transgressed, 
this dominion was forfeited. The spirit of rebellion, to 
which he himself had given entrance, extended through- 
out the animal creation. Thus not only the life of man, 

'Gen. 3:17-19. 



The Knowledge of Good and Evil 



27 



but the nature of the beasts, the trees of the forest, the 
grass of the field, the very air he breathed, all told the 
sad lesson of the knowledge of evil. 

But man was not abandoned to the results of the 
evil he had chosen. In the sentence pronounced upon 
Satan was given an intimation of redemption. "I will 
put enmity between thee and the woman," God said, 
"and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise 
thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." 1 This sen- 
tence, spoken in the hearing of our first parents, was to 
them a promise. Before they heard of the thorn and 
the thistle, of the toil and sorrow that must be their 
portion, or of the dust to which they must return, they 
listened to words that could not fail of giving them 
hope. All that had been lost by yielding to Satan 
could be regained through Christ. 

This intimation also nature repeats to us. Though 
marred by sin, it speaks not only of creation but of 
redemption. Though the earth bears testimony to the 
curse in the evident signs of decay, it is still rich and 
beautiful in the tokens of life-giving power. The trees 
cast off their leaves, only to be robed with fresher 
verdure; the flowers die, to spring forth in new beauty; 
and in every manifestation of creative power is held out 
the assurance that we may be created anew in "right- 
eousness and holiness of truth." 2 Thus the very ob- 
jects and operations of nature that bring so vividly to 
mind our great loss become to us the messengers of 
hope. 

As far as evil extends, the voice of our Father is 
heard, bidding His children see in its results the nature 
of sin, warning them to forsake the evil, and inviting 
them to receive the good. 

1 Gen. 3:15. 2 Eph. 4 : 24, margin. 



Restoration 

through 

Christ 



The Gospel 
in Nature 



Relation of Education 
to Redemption 



"THE LIGHT OF THE KNOWLEDGE 
OF THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE 
FACE OF JESUS CHRIST" 



Communion 
with God 



7~> Y sin man was shut out from God. Except for 
-*—* the plan of redemption, eternal separation from 
God, the darkness of unending night, would have been 
his. Through the Saviour's sacrifice, communion with 
God is again made possible. We may not in person 
approach into His presence; in our sin we may not 
look upon His face; but we can behold Him and com- 
mune with Him in Jesus, the Saviour. "The light of 
the knowledge of the glory of God" is revealed "in 
the face of Jesus Christ." God is "in Christ, recon- 
ciling the world unto Himself." 1 

"The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, 
full of grace and truth." "In Him was life; 
and the life was the light of men." 2 The life and 
the death of Christ, the price of our redemption, arc 
not only to us the promise and pledge of life, not 
only the means of opening again to us the treasures 

The Highest , . i i • i i r tt- 

Revelation ofwisdom: they are a broader, higher revelation of His 
character than even the holy ones of Eden knew. 

And while Christ opens heaven to man, the life 
which He imparts opens the heart of man to heaven. 
Sin not only shuts us away from God, but destroys 



(28) 



1 2 Cor. 4:6; 5:19. 



2 John 1 : 14, R. V.J I :4. 



Relation of Education to Redemption 29 



in the human soul both the desire and the capacity for 
knowing Him. All this work of evil it is Christ's 
mission to undo. The faculties of the soul, paralyzed 
by sin, the darkened mind, the perverted will, He has 
power to invigorate and to restore. He opens to us 
the riches of the universe, and by Him the power to 
discern and to appropriate these treasures is imparted. 

Christ is the "Light, which lighteth every man that 
cometh into the world." 1 As through Christ every 
human being has life, so also through Him every soul 
receives some ray of divine light. Not only intellec- 
tual but spiritual power, a perception' of right, a desire 
for goodness, exists in every heart. But against these 
principles there is struggling an antagonistic power. 
The result of the eating of the tree of knowledge of 
good and evil is manifest in every man's experience. 
There is in his nature a bent to evil, a force which, 
unaided, he can not resist. To withstand this force, 
to attain that ideal which in his inmost soul he accepts 
as alone worthy, he can find help in but one power. 
That power is Christ. Co-operation with that power 
is man's greatest need. In all educational effort should 
not this co-operation be the highest aim ? 

The true teacher is not satisfied with second-rate 
work. He is not satisfied with directing his students 
to a standard lower than the highest which it is pos- 
sible for them to attain. He can not be content with 
imparting to them only technical knowledge, with 
making them merely clever accountants, skilful arti- 
sans, successful tradesmen. It is his ambition to inspire 
them with principles of truth, obedience, honor, integ- 
rity, and purity, — principles that will make them a 
positive force for the stability and uplifting of society. 

1 John 1 : 9. 



Po wer 

through 
the Gospel 



Co-operation 

with 

Christ 



3o 



First Principles 



The One 
Foundation 



The 

Teacher's 

Aim 



He desires them, above all else, to learn life's great 
lesson of unselfish service. 

These principles become a living power to shape 
the character, through the acquaintance of the soul 
with Christ; through an acceptance of His wisdom as 
the guide, His power as the strength, of heart and 
life. This union formed, the student has found the 
Source of wisdom. He has within his reach the power 
to realize in himself his noblest ideals. The oppor- 
tunities of the highest education for life in this world 
are his. And in the training here gained, he is enter- 
ing upon that course which embraces eternity. 

In the highest sense, the work of education and the 
work of redemption are one; for in education, as in 
redemption, "other foundation can no man lay than 
that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." "It was the good 
pleasure of the Father that in Him should all the 
fulness dwell." 1 

Under changed conditions, true education is still 
conformed to the Creator's plan, the plan of the Eden 
school. Adam and Eve received instruction through 
direct communion with God; we behold "the light of 
the knowledge of His glory" in the face of Christ. 

The great principles of education are unchanged. 
"They stand fast forever and ever;" 2 for they are the 
principles of the character of God. To aid the student 
in comprehending these principles, and in entering into 
that relation with Christ which will make them a con- 
trolling power in the life, should be the teacher's first 
effort and his constant aim. The teacher who accepts 
this aim is in truth a co-worker with Christ, a laborer 
together with God. 



1 1 Cor. 3:11; Col. 1:19, R. V. 



2Ps. 111:8. 



1 ' L LUSTRA TIONS 



1 What soever things were written aforetime 
:cere writte n fo r our learn i ng ' ' 



The Education of Israel 



"the lord alone did lead him; 
he instructed him, he kept 
him as the apple of his eye" 



r t ^HE system of education established in Eden cen- 
■*■ tered in the family. Adam was "the son of 
God," 1 and it was from their Father that the children of 
the Highest received instruction. Theirs, in the truest 
sense, was a family school. 

In the divine plan of education as adapted to man's 
condition after the fall, Christ stands as the representa- 
tive of the Father, the connecting link between God and 
man; He is the great teacher of mankind. And He 
ordained that men and women should be His repre- 
sentatives. The family was the school, and the parents 
were the teachers. 

The education centering in the family was that 
which prevailed in the days of the patriarchs. For 
the schools thus established, God provided the condi- 
tions most favorable for the development of character. 
The people who were under His direction still pursued 
the plan of life that He had appointed in the beginning. 
Those who departed from God built for themselves 
cities, and, congregating in them, gloried in the splen- 
dor, the luxury, and the vice that make the cities of 
to-day the world's pride and its curse. But the men 
who held fast God's principles of life dwelt among the 
fields and hills. They were tillers of the soil, and 

3 i Luke 3 : 38. (33) 



The 

Family 

School 



Conditions 



34 



Illustrations, 



The 

Training 

in the 

Wilderness 



To 

Encourage 

Faith 



Surroundings 
at Sinai 



keepers of flocks and herds; and in this free, independent 
life, with its opportunities for labor and study and medi- 
tation, they learned of God, and taught their children- of 
His works and ways. 

This was the method of education that God de- 
sired to establish in Israel. But when brought out of 
Egypt there were among the Israelites few prepared to 
be workers together with Him in the training of their 
children. The parents themselves needed instruction 
and discipline. Victims of lifelong slavery, they were 
ignorant, untrained, degraded. They had little knowl- 
edge of God, and little faith in Him. They were con- 
fused by false teaching, and corrupted by their long 
contact with heathenism. God desired to lift them to 
a higher moral level; and to this end He sought to 
give them a knowledge of Himself. 

In His dealings with the wanderers in the desert, 
in all their marchings to and fro, in their exposure 
to hunger, thirst, and weariness, in their peril from 
heathen foes, and in the manifestation of His providence 
for their relief, God was seeking to strengthen their 
faith by revealing to them the power that was continu- 
ally working for their good. And having taught them 
to trust in His love and power, it was His purpose to 
set before them, in the precepts of His law, the standard 
of character to which, through His grace, He desired 
them to attain. 

Precious were the lessons taught to Israel during 
their sojourn at Sinai. This was a period of special 
training for the inheritance of Canaan. And their sur- 
roundings here were favorable for the accomplishing of 
God's purpose. On the summit of Sinai, overshadowing 
the plain where the people spread their tents, rested the 



The Education of Israel 



35 



pillar of cloud which had been the guide of their 
journey. A pillar of fire by night, it assured them of 
the divine protection; and while they were locked in 
slumber, the bread of heaven fell gently upon the 
encampment. On every hand, vast, rugged heights, 
in their solemn grandeur, spoke of eternal endurance 
and majesty. Man was made to feel his ignorance and 
weakness in the presence of Him who hath "weighed 
the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance." 1 
Here, by the manifestation of His glory, God sought 
to impress Israel with the holiness of His character and 
requirements, and the exceeding guilt of transgression. 

But the people were slow to learn the lesson. 
Accustomed as they had been in Egypt to material 
representations of the Deity, and these of the most 
de«radin<r nature, it was difficult for them to conceive 
of the existence or the character of the Unseen One. 
In pity for their weakness, God gave them a symbol of 
His presence. "Let them make Me a sanctuary," He 
said; "that I may dwell among them." 1 

In the building of the sanctuary as a dwelling-place 
for God, Moses was directed to make all things accord- 
ing to the pattern of things in the heavens. God called 
him into the mount, and revealed to him the heavenly 
things, and in their similitude the tabernacle, with all 
that pertained to it, was fashioned. 

So to Israel, whom He desired to make His dwelling- 
place, He revealed His glorious ideal of character. The 
pattern was shown them in the mount when the law 
was given from Sinai, and when God passed by before 
Moses and proclaimed, "The Lord, The Lord God, 
merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in 
goodness and truth." 3 

!Isa.4o:i2. 2 Ex. 25:8. » Ex, 34:6. 



"The 
Strength 
of the Hills 
Is His" 



A Symbol 
of God's 
Presence 



The Pattern 
in t he 
Mount 



36 



Illustrations 



The Gospel 

in the 

Tabernacle 



The 
Human 
Temple 



Building 
the 

Sanctuary 



But this ideal they were, in themselves, powerless 
to attain. The revelation at Sinai could only impress 
them with their need and helplessness. Another lesson 
the tabernacle, through its service of sacrifice, was to 
teach, — the lesson of pardon of sin, and power through 
the Saviour for obedience unto life. 

Through Christ was to be fulfilled the purpose 
of which the tabernacle was a symbol, — that glorious 
building, its walls of glistening gold reflecting in rain- 
bow hues the curtains inwrought with cherubim, the 
fragrance of ever-burning incense pervading all, the 
priests robed in spotless white, and in the deep mystery 
of the inner place, above the mercy-seat, between the 
figures of the bowed, worshiping angels, the glory of 
the Holiest. In all, God desired His people to read 
His purpose for the human soul. It was the same 
purpose long afterward set forth by the apostle Paul, 
speaking by the Holy Spirit: — 

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and 
that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man 
defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for 
the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." 1 

Great was the privilege and honor granted Israel 
in the preparation of the sanctuary; and great was also 
the responsibility. A structure of surpassing splendor, 
demanding for its construction the most costly material 
and the highest artistic skill, was to be erected in the 
wilderness, by a people just escaped from slavery. It 
seemed a stupendous task. But He who had given the 
plan of the building stood pledged to co-operate with the 
builders. 

"The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have 
called by name Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, 

1 1 Cor. 3 : 16, 17. 



The Ediication of Israel 



37 



of the tribe of Judah; and I have filled him with the 
Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in 
knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship. 
And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son 
of Ahisamacb, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of 
all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they 
may make all that I have commanded thee." 1 

What an industrial school was that in the wilderness, 
having for its instructors Christ and His angels! 

In the preparation of the sanctuary and in its fur- 
nishing, all the people were to co-operate. There was 
labor for brain and hand. A great variety of material 
was required, and all were invited to contribute as their 
own hearts prompted. 

Thus in labor and in giving they were taught to 
co-operate with God and with one another. And they 
were to co-operate also in the preparation of the spiritual 
building — God's temple in the soul. 

From the outset of the journey from Egypt, lessons 
had been given for their training and discipline. Even 
before they left Egypt a temporary organization had 
been effected, and the people were arranged in companies, 
under appointed leaders. At Sinai the arrangements for 
organization were completed. The order so strikingly 
displayed in all the works of God was manifest in the 
Hebrew economy. God was the center of authority 
and government. Moses, as His representative, was 
to administer the laws in His name. Then came the 
council of seventy, then the priests and the princes, 
under these " captains over thousands, and captains over 
hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over 
tens," 2 and, lastly, officers appointed for special duties. 
The camp was arranged in exact order, the tabernacle, 



An Industrial 
School 



Organization 



1 Ex. 31 : 1-6. 



2 Num. 1 1 : 16, 17 ; Deut. 1 : 15. 



Sanitary 
Regulations 



38 Illustrations 

the abiding-place of God, in the midst, and around it 
the tents of the priests and the Levites. Outside of these, 
each tribe encamped beside its own standard. 

Thorough-going sanitary regulations were enforced. 
These were enjoined on the people, not only as necessary 
to health, but as the condition of retaining among them 
the presence of the Holy One. By divine authority 
Moses declared to them, "The Lord thy God walketh in 
the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee ; . . . there- 
fore shall thy camp be holy." 1 

The education of the Israelites included all their 
habits of life. Everything that concerned their well- 
being was the subject of divine solicitude, and came 
within the province of divine law. Even in providing 
their food, God sought their highest good. The manna 
with which He fed them in the wilderness was of a 
nature to promote physical, mental, and moral strength. 
Though so many of them rebelled against the restriction 
of their diet, and longed to return to the days when, 
they said, "We sat by the flesh-pots, and when we did 
eat bread to the full," 2 yet the wisdom of God's choice 
for them was vindicated in a manner they could not 
gainsay. Notwithstanding the hardships of their wilder- 
ness life, there was not a feeble one in all their tribes. 

In all their journeyings the ark containing the law 
The Divine of God was to lead the way. The place of their encamp- 
ment was indicated by the descent of the pillar of cloud. 
As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they 
remained in camp. When it lifted, they pursued their 
journey. Both the halt and the departure were marked 
by a solemn invocation. " It came to pass, when the 
ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let 
Thine enemies be scattered. . . . And when it 

1 Dent. 23:14. 2 Ex. 16:3. 



Guiding 



The Education of Israel 



39 



rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto the many thou- 
sands of Israel." 1 

As the people journeyed through the wilderness, 
many precious lessons were fixed in their minds by 
means of song. At their deliverance from Pharaoh's 
army the whole host of Israel had joined in the song 
of triumph. Far over desert and sea rang the joyous 
refrain, and the mountains re-echoed the accents of 
praise, "Sing ye to Jehovah, for He hath triumphed 
gloriously." 2 Often on the journey was this song 
repeated, cheering the hearts and kindling the faith of 
the pilgrim travelers. The commandments as given 
from Sinai, with promises of God's favor and records 
of His wonderful works for their deliverance, were by 
divine direction expressed in song, and were chanted to 
the sound of instrumental music, the people keeping 
step as their voices united in praise. 

Thus their thoughts were uplifted from the trials 
and difficulties of the way, the restless, turbulent spirit 
was soothed and calmed, the principles of truth were 
implanted in the memory, and faith was strengthened. 
Concert of action taught order and unity, and the people 
were brought into closer touch with God and with one 
another. 

Of the dealing of God with Israel during the forty 
years of wilderness wandering, Moses declared: "As a 
man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth 
thee;" "to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know 
what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldst keep 
His commandments, or no." 3 

" He found him in a desert land, and in the waste 
howling wilderness; He led him about, He instructed 
him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. As an eagle 

1 Num. 10:35, 36. 2 Ex. 15:21. 3 Deut. 8:5, 2. 



Music 
and Song 



Purpose 
of God's 
Discipline 



40 Illustrations 

stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth 
abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her 
wings; so the Lord alone did lead him, and there was 
no strange god with him." 1 

" He remembered His holy promise, and Abraham 
His servant. And He brought forth His people with 
joy, and His chosen with gladness; and gave them the 
lands of the heathen; and they inherited the labor of 
the people; that they might observe His statutes, and 
keep His laws." 2 

God surrounded Israel with every facility, gave them 
Facilities every privilege, that would make them an honor to His 

m canaaa name and a blessing to surrounding nations. If they 
would walk in the ways of obedience, He promised to 
make them "high above all nations which He hath 
made, in praise, and in name, and in honor." "All peo- 
ple of the earth," He said, "shall hear that thou art 
called by the name of Jehovah; and they shall be afraid 
of thee." The nations which shall hear all these stat- 
utes shall say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and 
understanding people." 3 

In the laws committed to Israel, explicit instruction 
was given concerning education. To Moses at Sinai 
God had revealed Himself as "merciful and gracious, 
long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth." 4 
These principles, embodied in His law, the fathers and 
mothers in Israel were to teach their children. Moses 

Gods Law by divine direction declared to them: "These words, 
Taught w j 1 j c j 1 i command thee this day, shall be in thine heart; 
and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, 
and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine 
house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when 
thou liest down, and when thou risest up." £ 

1 Deut. 32: 10-12. 2 p s . 105:42-45. 3 Deut. 26 : 19; 28:10:4:6. 

4 Ex. 34:6. 6 Deut. 6:6, 7. 



The Edttcation of Israel 



41 



Not as a dry theory were these things to be taught. 
Those who would impart truth must themselves practise 
its principles. Only by reflecting the character of God 
in the uprightness, nobility, and unselfishness of their 
own lives can they impress others. 

True education is not the forcing of instruction on 
an unready and un receptive mind. The mental powers 
must be awakened, the interest aroused. For this, God's 
method of teaching provided. He who created the 
mind and ordained its laws, provided for its develop- 
ment in accordance with them. In the home and the 
sanctuary, through the things of nature and of art, in 
labor and in festivity, in sacred building and memorial 
stone, by methods and rites and symbols unnumbered, 
God gave to Israel lessons illustrating His principles, 
and preserving the memory of His wonderful works. 
Then, as inquiry was made, the instruction given 
impressed mind and heart. 

In the arrangements for the education of the chosen 
people it is made manifest that a life centered in God is 
a life of completeness. Every want He has implanted, 
He provides to satisfy; every faculty imparted, He seeks 
to develop. 

The Author of all beauty, Himself a lover of the 
beautiful, God provided to gratify in His children the 
love of beauty. He made provision also for their social 
needs, for the kindly and helpful associations that do 
so much to cultivate sympathy and to brighten and 
sweeten life. 

As a means of education, an important place was 
filled by the feasts of Israel. In ordinary life the family 
was both a school and a church, the parents being 
the instructors in secular and in religious lines. But 



Object 
Lessons 



The Annual 
Feasts 



42 



Illustration* 



Journey to 
Jerusalem 



The Paschal 
Service 



Feast of 
Ingathering 



three times a year seasons were appointed for social in- 
tercourse and worship. First at Shiloh, and afterward 
at Jerusalem, these gatherings were held. Only the 
fathers and sons were required to be present; but none 
desired to forego the opportunities of the feasts, and, 
so far as possible, all the household were in attendance; 
and with them, as sharers of their hospitality, were the 
stranger, the Levite, and the poor. 

The journey to Jerusalem, in the simple, patriarchal 
style, amidst the beauty of the spring-time, the richness 
of midsummer, or the ripened glory of autumn, was a 
delight. With offerings of gratitude they came, from 
the man of white hairs to the little child, to meet with 
God in His holy habitation. As they journeyed, the 
experiences of the past, the stories that both old and 
young still love so well, were recounted to the Hebrew 
children. The songs that had cheered the wilderness 
wandering were sung. God's commandments were 
chanted, and, bound up with the blessed influences of 
nature and of kindly human association, they were for- 
ever fixed in the memory of many a child and youth. 

The ceremonies witnessed at Jerusalem in connec- 
tion with the paschal service, — the night assembly, the 
men with their girded loins, shoes on feet, and staff in 
hand, the hasty meal, the lamb, the unleavened bread, 
and the bitter herbs, and in the solemn silence the 
rehearsal of the story of the sprinkled blood, the death- 
dealing angel, and the grand march from the land of 
bondage, — all were of a nature to stir the imagination 
and impress the heart. 

The Feast of Tabernacles, or harvest-festival, with 
its offerings from orchard and field, its week's encamp- 
ment in the leafy booths, its social reunions, the sacred 



The Education of Israel 



43 



memorial service, and the generous hospitality to God's 
workers, the Levites of the sanctuary, and to His chil- 
dren, the strangers and the poor, uplifted all minds in 
gratitude to Him who had "crowned the year with His 
goodness," and whose "paths dropped fatness." 

By the devout in Israel, fully a month of every year 
was occupied in this way. It was a period free from 
care and labor, and almost wholly devoted, in the truest 
sense, to purposes of education. 

In apportioning the inheritance of His people, it 
was God's purpose to teach them, and through them 
the people of after-generations, correct principles con- 
cerning the ownership of the land. The land of Canaan 
was divided among the whole people, the Levites only, 
as ministers of the sanctuary, being excepted. Though 
one might for a season dispose of his possession, he 
could not barter away the inheritance of his children. 
When able to do so, he was at liberty at any time to 
redeem it; debts were remitted every seventh year, and 
in the fiftieth, or year of jubilee, all landed property 
reverted to the original owner. Thus every family was 
secured in its possession, and a safeguard was afforded 
against the extremes either of wealth or of poverty. 

By the distribution of the land among the people, 
God provided for them, as for the dwellers in Eden, the 
occupation most favorable to development, — the care of 
plants and animals. A further provision for education 
was the suspension of agricultural labor every seventh 
year, the land lying fallow, and its spontaneous prod- 
ucts being left to the poor. Thus was given oppor- 
tunity for more extended study, for social intercourse 
and worship, and for the exercise of benevolence, so 
often crowded out by life's cares and labors. 



Ownership 
of Land 



Special 
Provision for 
Educa tion 



44 



Illustrations 



A Key to 

Present-Day 

Problems 



Recognition 

of God's 

Ownership 



Were the principles of God's laws regarding the 
distribution of property carried out in the world to-day, 
how different would be the condition of the people! 
An observance of these principles would prevent the 
terrible evils that in all ages have resulted from the 
oppression of the poor by the rich and the hatred of 
the rich by the poor. While it might hinder the 
amassing of great wealth, it would tend to prevent 
the ignorance and degradation of tens of thousands 
whose ill-paid servitude is required for the building up 
of these colossal fortunes. It would aid in bringing a 
peaceful solution of problems that now threaten to fill 
the world with anarchy and bloodshed. 

The consecration to God of a tithe of all increase, 
whether of the orchard and harvest-field, the flocks and 
herds, or the labor of brain or hand; the devotion of a 
second tithe for the relief of the poor and other benevo- 
lent uses, tended to keep fresh before the people the 
truth of God's ownership of all, and of their opportunity 
to be channels of His blessings. It was a training 
adapted to kill out all narrowing selfishness, and to 
cultivate breadth and nobility of character. 

A knowledge of God, fellowship with Him in study 
and in labor, likeness to Him in character, were to be 
the source, the means, and the aim of Israel's education, 
— the education imparted by God to the parents, and by 
them to be given to their children. 



The Schools of the 
Prophets 



THEY SAT DOWN AT THV KEETj 
EVERY ONE SHALL RECEIVE OF 
THY WORDS" 



TJTHEREVER in Israel God's plan of education 
' * was carried into effect, its results testified of its 
Author. But in very many households the training ap- 
pointed by Heaven, and the characters thus developed, 
were alike rare. God's plan was but partially and 
imperfectly fulfilled. By unbelief and by disregard of the 
Lord's directions, the Israelites surrounded themselves 
with temptations that kw had power to resist. At their 
settlement in Canaan "they did not destroy the nations, 
concerning whom the Lord commanded them; but 
were mingled among the heathen, and learned their 
works. And they served their idols, which were a 
snare unto them." Their heart was not right with 
God, "neither were they steadfast in His covenant. 
But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, 
and destroyed them not; yea, many a time turned He 
His anger away. . . . For He remembered that 
they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and Com- 
eth not again." 1 Fathers and mothers in Israel became 
indifferent to their obligation to God, indifferent to their 
obligation to their children. Through unfaithfulness in 
the home, and idolatrous influences without, many of 
the Hebrew- youth received an education differing widely 

•PS. 106 : 34-36 ; 78 : 37-39. (45) 



Perils 

from 

Heathenism 



Parental 
Indifference 



4 6 



Illustrations 



Schools 

as a 

Safeguard 



Teachers and 
Students 



from that which God had planned for them. They 
learned the ways of the heathen. 

To meet this growing evil, God provided other 
agencies as an aid to parents in the work of education. 
From the earliest times, prophets had been recognized 
as teachers divinely appointed. In the highest sense 
the prophet was one who spoke by direct inspiration, 
communicating to the people the messages he had 
received from God. But the name was given also to 
those who, though not so directly inspired, were 
divinely called to instruct the people in the works and 
ways of God. For the training of such a class of 
teachers, Samuel, by the Lord's direction, established 
the schools of the prophets. 

These schools were intended to serve as a barrier 
against the wide-spreading corruption, to provide for 
the mental and spiritual welfare of the youth, and to 
promote the prosperity of the nation by furnishing it 
with men qualified to act in the fear of God as leaders 
and counselors. To this end, Samuel gathered com- 
panies of young men who were pious, intelligent, and 
studious. These were called the sons of the prophets. 
As they studied the word and the works of God, His 
life-giving power quickened the energies of mind and 
soul, and the students received wisdom from above. 
The instructors were not only versed in divine truth, 
but had themselves enjoyed communion with God, and 
had received the special endowment of His Spirit. They 
had the respect and confidence of the people, both for 
learning and for piety. In Samuel's day there were 
two of these schools, — one at Ramah, the home of the 
prophet, and the other at Kirjath-jearim. In later times 
others were established. 



The Schools of the Prophets 



47 



The pupils of these schools sustained themselves by 
their own labor in tilling the soil, or in some mechanical 
employment. In Israel this was not thought strange or 
degrading; indeed, it was regarded as a sin to allow 
children to grow up in ignorance of useful labor. Every 
youth, whether his parents were rich or poor, was 
taught some trade. Even though he was to be educated 
for holy office, a knowledge of practical life was regarded 
as essential to the greatest usefulness. Many also of the 
teachers supported themselves by manual labor. 

In both the school and the home much of the teach- 
ing was oral; but the youth also learned to read the 
Hebrew writings, and the parchment rolls of the Old 
Testament Scriptures were open to their study. The 
chief subjects of study in these schools were the law of 
God, with the instruction given to Moses, sacred history, 
sacred music, and poetry. In the records of sacred his- 
tory were traced the footsteps of Jehovah. The great 
truths set forth by the types in the service of the sanc- 
tuary were brought to view, and faith grasped the central 
object of all that system, — the Lamb of God, that was to 
take away the sin of the world. A spirit of devotion 
was cherished. Not only were the students taught the 
duty of prayer, but they were taught how to pray, how 
to approach their Creator, how to exercise faith in 
Him, and how to understand and obey the teachings of 
His Spirit. Sanctified intellect brought forth from the 
treasure-house of God things new and old, and the Spirit 
of God was manifested in prophecy and sacred song. 

These schools proved to be one of the means most 
effective in promoting that righteousness which "ex- 
alteth a nation." 1 In no small degree they aided 
in laying the foundation of that marvelous prosperity 

1 Prov. 14 : 34. 



Industrial 
Training- 



Course 
of Study 



Results 



4 8 



Illustrations 



David 

and 

Solomon 



Greatness 
of Israel 



which distinguished the reigns of David and Solomon. 

The principles taught in the schools of the prophets 
were the same that moulded David's character and 
shaped his life. The word of God was his instructor. 
"Through Thy precepts," he said, "I get understanding. 
I have inclined mine heart to perform Thy 
statutes." 1 It was this that caused the Lord to pro- 
nounce David, when in his youth He called him to the 
throne, "a man after Mine own heart." 2 

In the early life of Solomon also are seen the results 
of God's method of education. Solomon in his youth 
made David's choice his own. Above every earthly 
good he asked of God a wise and understanding heart. 
And the Lord gave him not only that which he sought, 
but that also for which he had not sought, — both riches 
and honor. The power of his understanding, the extent 
of his knowledge, the glory of his reign, became the 
wonder of the world. 

In the reigns of David and Solomon, Israel reached 
the height of her greatness. The promise given to 
Abraham and repeated through Moses was fulfilled: "If 
ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which 
I command you, to do them, to love the Lord your 
God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave unto Him; 
then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before 
you, and ye shall possess greater nations and mightier 
than yourselves. Every place whereon the soles of your 
feet shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and 
Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto 
the uttermost sea shall your coast be. There shall no 
man be able to stand before you." 3 

But in the midst of prosperity lurked danger. The 
sin of David's later years, though sincerely repented of 



1 Ps. ng : 104-112. 



2 Acts 13 



'Deut. 11 : 22-25. 



The Schools of the Prophets 



49 



and sorely punished, emboldened the people in trans- 
gression of God's commandments. And Solomon's 
life, after a morning of so great promise, was darkened 
with apostasy. Desire for political power and self- 
aggrandizement led to alliance with heathen nations. 
The silver of Tarshish and the gold of Ophir were pro- 
cured by the sacrifice of integrity, the betrayal of sacred 
trusts. Association with idolaters, marriage with heathen 
wives, corrupted his faith. The barriers that God had 
erected for the safety of His people were thus broken 
down, and Solomon gave himself up to the worship of 
false gods. On the summit of the Mount of Olives, 
confronting the temple of Jehovah, were erected gigan- 
tic images and altars for the service of heathen deities. 
As he cast off his allegiance to God, Solomon lost the 
mastery of himself. His fine sensibilities became blunted. 
The conscientious, considerate spirit of his early reign 
was changed. Pride, ambition, prodigality, and indul- 
gence bore fruit in cruelty and exaction. He who had 
been a just, compassionate, and God-fearing ruler, be- 
came tyrannical and oppressive. He who at the dedica- 
tion of the temple had prayed for his people that their 
hearts might be undividedly given to the Lord, became 
their seducer. Solomon dishonored himself, dishonored 
Israel, and dishonored God. 

The nation, of which he had been the pride, followed 
his leading. Though he afterward repented, his repent- 
ance did not prevent the fruition of the evil he had 
sown. The discipline and training that God appointed 
for Israel would cause them, in all their ways of life, to 
differ from the people of other nations. This pecu- 
liarity, which should have been regarded as a special 
privilege and blessing, was to them unwelcome. The 

4 



In termingling 

with 

Idolaters 



Apostasy 



50 



II lustration s 



National 
Overthrow 



God's Plan 
Unchanged 



•'For Our 
Admonition" 



simplicity and self-restraint essential to the highest devel- 
opment they sought to exchange for the pomp and self- 
indulgence of heathen peoples. To be "like all the 
nations " x was their ambition. God's plan of education 
was set aside, His authority disowned. 

In the rejection of the ways of God for the ways of 
men, the downfall of Israel began. Thus also it con- 
tinued, until the Jewish people became a prey to the 
very nations whose practises they had chosen to follow. 

As a nation the children of Israel failed of receiving 
the benefits that God desired to give them. They did 
not appreciate His purpose or co-operate in its execution. 
But though individuals and peoples may thus separate 
themselves from Him, His purpose for those who trust 
Him is unchanged. " Whatsoever God doeth, it shall 
be forever." 2 

While there are different degrees of development and 
different manifestations of His power to meet the wants 
of men in the different ages, God's work in all time is 
the same. The Teacher is the same. God's character 
and His plan are the same. With Him "is no variable- 
ness, neither shadow of turning." 3 

The experiences of Israel were recorded for our 
instruction. "All those things happened unto them for 
ensamples, and they are written for our admonition, upon 
whom the ends of the world are come." 4 With us, as 
with Israel of old, success in education depends on 
fidelity in carrying out the Creator's plan. Adherence 
to the principles of God's word will bring as great 
blessings to us as it would have brought to the Hebrew 
people. 



1 1 Sam. 8 : 5. 



2 Eccl. 3 : 14. 
4 1 Cor. 10: 11. 



'James 1 : 17. 



Lives of Great Me 



11 



'THE FRUIT OF THE RICH I KOI s 
IS A TREE OF LIFE" 



O ACRED history presents many illustrations of the 
^ results of true education. Jt presents many noble 
examples of men whose characters were formed under 
divine direction; men whose lives were a blessing to 
their fellow-men, and who stood in the world as repre- 
sentatives of God. Among these are Joseph and Daniel, 
Moses, Elisha, and Paul, — the greatest statesmen, the 
wisest legislator, one of the most faithful of reformers, 
and, except Him who spoke as never man spake, the 
most illustrious teacher that this world has known. 

In early life, just as they were passing from youth 
to manhood, Joseph and Daniel were separated from 
their homes, and carried as captives to heathen lands. 
Especially was Joseph subject to the temptations that 
attend great changes of fortune. In his father's home a 
tenderly cherished child; in the house of Potiphar a 
slave, then a confidant and companion ; a man of affairs, 
educated by study, observation, contact with men; in 
Pharaoh's dungeon a prisoner of state, condemned un- 
justly, without hope of vindication or prospect of release; 
called at a great crisis to the leadership of the nation, — 
what enabled him to preserve his integrity? 

No one can stand upon a lofty height without 
danger. As the tempest that leaves unharmed the 

(50 



Results 
of True 

Education 



Joseph 



5 2 



Illustrations 



Perils of 
Prosperity 



Joseph's 
Bar/v Years 



The Crisis 



flower of the valley uproots the tree upon the mountain- 
top, so do fierce temptations that leave untouched the 
lowly in life assail those who stand in the world's high 
places of success and honor. But Joseph bore alike 
the test of adversity and of prosperity. . The same 
fidelity was manifest in the palace of the Pharaohs as 
in the prisoner's cell. 

In his childhood, Joseph had been taught the love 
and fear of God. Often in his father's tent, under the 
Syrian stars, he had been told the story of the night 
vision at Bethel, of the ladder from heaven to earth, and 
the descending and ascending angels, and of Him who 
from the throne above revealed Himself to Jacob. He 
had been told the story of the conflict beside the 
Jabbok, when, renouncing cherished sins, Jacob stood 
conqueror, and received the title of a prince with God. 

A shepherd boy, tending his father's flocks, Joseph's 
pure and simple life had favored the development of 
both physical and mental power. By communion with 
God through nature and the study of the great truths 
handed down as a sacred trust from father to son, he- 
had gained strength of mind, and firmness of principle. 

In the crisis of his life, when making that terrible 
journey from his childhood's home in Canaan to the 
bondage which awaited him in Egypt, looking for the 
last time on the hills that hid the tents of his kindred, 
Joseph remembered his father's God. He remembered 
the lessons of his childhood, and his soul thrilled with 
the resolve to prove himself true, — ever to act as be- 
came a subject of the King of heaven. 

In the bitter life of a stranger and a slave, amidst 
the sights and sounds of vice and the allurements of 
heathen worship, a worship surrounded with all the 



Lives of Great Men 



53 



attractions of wealth and culture and the pomp of 
royalty, Joseph was steadfast. He had learned the 
lesson of obedience to duty. Faithfulness in every 
station, from the most lowly to the most exalted, 
trained every power for highest service. 

At the time when he was called to the court of 
Pharaoh, Egypt was the greatest of nations. In civili- 
zation, art, learning, she was unequaled. Through a 
period of utmost difficulty and danger, Joseph admin- 
istered the affairs of the kingdom; and this he did in 
a manner that won the confidence of the king and 
the people. Pharaoh made him "lord of his house, 
and ruler of all his substance; to bind his princes at 
his pleasure, and teach his senators wisdom." 1 

The secret of Joseph's life Inspiration has set before 
us. In words of divine power and beauty, Jacob, in the 
blessing pronounced upon his children, spoke thus of 
his best-loved son: — 



Training 
for Service 



"Joseph is a fruitful bough, 
Even a fruitful bough by a well; 
Whose branches run over the wall; 
The archers have sorely grieved him, 
And shot at him, and hated him; 
But his bow abode in strength, 
And the arms of his hands were made strong 
By the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; . . . 
Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; 
And by the Almighty, who shall bless thee 
With blessings of heaven above, 
Blessings of the deep that lieth under; . . . 
The blessings of thy father have prevailed 
Above the blessings of my progenitors 
Unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; 
They shall be on the head of Joseph, 

And on the crown of the head of him that was separate 
from his brethren." 2 

1 Ps. 105 : 21, 22. 2 Gen. 49 : 22-26. 



Secret of 

Joseph'* 

Greatness 



54 



Illustrations 



Loyalty to God, faith in the Unseen, was Joseph's 
anchor. In this lay the hiding" of his power. 

"The arms of his hands were made strong 
By the hands of tlie mighty God of Jacob.' 



Perils in 
Babylon 



Daniel and his companions in Babylon were, in their 
youth, apparently more favored of fortune than was 
foseph in the earlier years of his life in Egypt; yet 
they were subjected to tests of character scarcely less 
severe. From the comparative simplicity of their Judean 
home these youth of royal line were transported to the 
most magnificent of cities, to the court of its greatest 
monarch, and were singled out to be trained for the 
king's special service. Strong were the temptations 
surrounding them in that corrupt and luxurious court. 
The fact that they, the worshipers of Jehovah, were 
captives to Babylon; that the vessels of God's house had 
been placed in the temple of the gods of Babylon; that 
the king of Israel was himself a prisoner in the hands of 
the Babylonians, was boastfully cited by the victors as 
evidence that their religion and customs were superior 
to the religion and customs of the Hebrews. Under 
such circumstances, through the very humiliations that 
Israel's departure from His commandments had invited, 
God gave to Babylon evidence of His supremacy, of the 
holiness of His requirements, and of the sure result of 
obedience. And this testimony He gave, as alone it 
could be given, through those who still held fast their 
loyalty. 

To Daniel and his companions, at the very outset of 
their career, there came a decisive test. The direction 
that their food should be supplied from the royal table 



Lives of Great Men 



55 



was an expression both of the king's favor and of his 
solicitude for their welfare. But a portion having been 
offered to idols, the food from the king's table was 
consecrated to idolatry; and in partaking of the king's 
bounty these youth would be regarded as uniting in his 
homage to false gods. In such homage loyalty to 
Jehovah forbade them to participate. Nor dared they 
risk the enervating effect of luxury and dissipation on 
physical, mental, and spiritual development. 

Daniel and his companions had been faithfully in- 
structed in the principles of the word of God. They 
had learned to sacrifice the earthly to the spiritual, to 
seek the highest good. And they reaped the reward. 
Their habits of temperance and their sense of respon- 
sibility as representatives of God called to noblest de- 
velopment the powers of body, mind, and soul. At 
the end of their training, in their examination with 
other candidates for the honors of the kingdom, there 
was " found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and 
Azariah." 1 

At the court of Babylon were gathered representa- 
tives from all lands, men of the choicest talents, men the 
most richly endowed with natural gifts, and possessed 
of the highest culture this world could bestow; yet 
amidst them all, the Hebrew captives were without a 
peer. In physical strength and beauty, in mental vigor 
and literary attainment, they stood unrivaled. " In all 
matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king 
inquired of them, he found them ten times better than 
all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his 
realm." 2 

Unwavering in allegiance to God, unyielding in the 
mastery of himself, Daniel's noble dignity and courteous 



A Test of 
Character 



Foremost 

among 

Students 



1 Dan. 1 119. 



2 Dan. 1 :2o. 



55 Illustrations 

deference won for him in his youth the "favor and tender 

love" of the heathen officer in whose charge he was. 

The The same characteristics marked his life. Speedily he 

Unrivaled . . . . . 

statesman rose to the position of prime minister of the kingdom. 
Throughout the reign of successive monarchs, the down- 
fall of the nation, and the establishment of a rival king- 
dom, such were his wisdom and statesmanship, so perfect 
his tact, his courtesy, and his genuine goodness of heart, 
combined with fidelity to principle, that even his enemies 
were forced to the confession that " they could find none 
occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful." 1 

While Daniel clung to God with unwavering trust, 
the spirit of prophetic power came upon him. While 
honored by men with the responsibilities of the court 
and the secrets of the kingdom, he was honored by God 
as His ambassador, and taught to read the mysteries of 
ages to come. Heathen monarchs, through association 
with Heaven's representative, were constrained to ac- 
Heaven's knowledge the God of Daniel. "Of a truth it is," 

Amhassador , 

declared Nebuchadnezzar, "that your God is a God of 
gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets." 
And Darius, in his proclamation " unto all people, na- 
tions, and languages, that dwell in all the earth," exalted 
the "God of Daniel " as "the living God, and steadfast 
forever, and His kingdom that which shall not be 
destroyed;" who "delivereth and rescueth, and 
worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth." 2 



By their wisdom and justice, by the purity and 
benevolence of their daily life, by their devotion to the 
interests of the people, — and they, idolaters, — Joseph 
and Daniel proved themselves true to the principles of 

'Dan. 6:4. 2Dan. 2:^7; 6:25-27. 



Lives of Great Men 



57 



their early training, true to Him whose representatives 
they were. These men, both in Egypt and in Babylon, 
the whole nation honored; and in them a heathen peo- 
ple, and all the nations with which they were connected, 
beheld an illustration of the goodness and beneficence of 
God, an illustration of the love of Christ. 

What a life-work was that of these noble Hebrews ! 
As they bade farewell to their childhood's home, how 
little did they dream of their high destiny! Faithful and 
steadfast, they yielded themselves to the divine guiding, 
so that through them God could fulfil His purpose. 

The same mighty truths that were revealed through 
these men, God desires to reveal through the youth 
and the children of to-day. The history of Joseph and 
Daniel is an illustration of what He will do for those 
who yield themselves to Him, and with the whole heart 
seek to accomplish His purpose. 

The greatest want of the world is the want of men,- — 
men who will not be bought or sold; men who in their 
inmost souls are true and honest; men who do not fear 
to call sin by its right name; men whose conscience is 
as true to duty as the needle to the pole; men who will 
stand for the right though the heavens fall. 

But such a character is not the result of accident ; it 
is not due to special favors or endowments of Providence. 
A noble character is the result of self-discipline, of the 
subjection of the lower to the higher nature, — the sur- 
render of self for the service of love to God and man. 

The youth need to be impressed with the truth that 
their endowments are not their own. Strength, time, 
intellect, are but lent treasures. They belong to God, 
and it should be the resolve of every youth to put them 
to the highest use. He is a branch, from which God 



A Noble 
Life-Work 



The 

World's 
(irentest 
Need 



Self-Discipline 



58 Illustrations 

expects fruit ; a steward, whose capital must yield in- 
crease; a light, to illuminate the world's darkness. 

Every youth, every child, has a work to do for the 
honor of God and the uplifting of humanity. 



The early years of the prophet Elisha were passed 
Eiisha m the quietude of country life, under the teaching of 
God and nature and the discipline of useful work. In a 
time of almost universal apostasy, his father's household 
were among the number who had not bowed the knee 
to Baal. Theirs was a home where God was honored, 
and where faithfulness to duty was the rule of daily life. 

The son of a wealthy farmer, Elisha had taken up 
the work that lay nearest. While possessing the capa- 
bilities of a leader among men, he received a training in 
life's common duties. In order to direct wisely, he must 
learn to obey. By faithfulness in little things, he was 
prepared for weightier trusts. 

Of a meek and gentle spirit, Elisha possessed also 

energy and steadfastness. He cherished the love and 

Faithfulness f ear f God, and in the humble round of daily toil he 

in Little . 1 r 111 r 1 

Things gained strength ot purpose and nobleness of character, 
growing in divine grace and knowledge. While co- 
operating with his father in the home duties, he was 
learning to co-operate with God. 

The prophetic call came to Elisha while with his 
father's servants he was plowing in the field. As Elijah, 
divinely directed in seeking a successor, cast his mantle 
upon the young man's shoulders, Elisha recognized and 
obeyed the summons. He "went after Elijah, and 
ministered unto him." 1 It was no great work that 
was at first required of Elisha ; commonplace duties 

1 1 Kings 19 : 21. 



Lives of Great Meu 59 

still constituted his discipline. He is spoken of as pour- 
ing water on the hands of Elijah, his master. As the 
prophet's personal attendant, he continued to prove 
faithful in little things, while with daily strengthening 
purpose he devoted himself to the mission appointed 
him by God. 

When he was first summoned, his resolution had 
been tested. As he turned to follow Elijah, he was singleness 
bidden by the prophet to return home. He must count ° Purpose 
the cost, — decide for himself to accept or reject the 
call. But Elisha understood the value of his op- 
portunity. Not for any worldly advantage would he 
forego the possibility of becoming God's messenger, or 
sacrifice the privilege of association with His servant. 

As time passed, and Elijah was prepared for transla- 
tion, so Elisha was prepared to become his successor. 
And again his faith and resolution were tested. Accom- 
panying Elijah in his round of service, knowing the 
change soon to come, he was at each place invited by 
the prophet to turn back. "Tarry here, I pray thee," 
Elijah said; "for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel." T ^t 
But in his early labor of guiding the plow, Elisha had 
learned not to fail or to become discouraged; and now 
that he had set his hand to the plow in another line of 
duty, he would not be diverted from his purpose. As 
often as the invitation to turn back was given, his answer 
was, "As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will 
not leave thee." ' 

"And they two went on. . . . And they two 
stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and 
wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they 
were divided hither and thither, so that they two went 
over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they 

] 2 ECit>gS 2: -. 



6o 



Illustrations 



The 

Supreme 

Gift 



Fruits of 
Practical 
Training- 



Were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what 
I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. 
And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of di- 
spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a 
hard thing; nevertheless, if thou see me when I am 
taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it 
shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still 
went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a 
chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them 
both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into 
heaven. 

"And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my 
father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof! 
And he saw him no more; and he took hold of his own 
clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also 
the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, 
and stood by the bank of Jordan ; and he took the 
mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the 
waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? 
and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted 
hither and thither; and Elisha went over. And when 
the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho 
saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on 
Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed them- 
selves to the ground before him." 1 

Henceforth Elisha stood in Elijah's place. And he 
who had been faithful in that which was least, proved 
himself faithful also in much. 

Elijah, the man of power, had been God's instru- 
ment for the overthrow of gigantic evils. Idolatry, 
which, supported by Ahab and the heathen Jezebel, 
had seduced the nation, had been cast down. Baal's 
prophets had been slain. The whole people of Israel 

1 2 Kings 2 : 6-15. 



Lives of Great Men 6 1 

had been deeply stirred, and many were returning to 
the worship of God. As successor to Elijah Was 
needed one who by careful, patient instruction could 
guide Israel in safe paths. For this work Elisha's early 
training under God's direction had prepared him. 

The lesson is for all. None can know what may be a Lesson 
God's purpose in His discipline; but all may be certain 
that faithfulness in little things is the evidence of fitness 
for greater responsibilities. Every act of life is a revela- 
tion of character, and he only who in small duties proves 
himself "a workman that needeth not to be ashamed," 1 
will be honored by God with weightier trusts. 



for All 



Younger than Joseph or Daniel was Moses when 
removed from the sheltering care of his childhood's 
home; yet already the same agencies that shaped their 
lives had moulded his. Only twelve years did he spend 
with his Hebrew kindred; but during these years was 
laid the foundation of his greatness; it was laid by the 
hand of one little known to fame. 

Jochebed was a woman and a slave. Her lot in life 
was humble, her burden heavy. But through no other 
woman, save Mary of Nazareth, has the world received 
greater blessing. Knowing that her child must soon 
pass beyond her care, to the guardianship of those who His \iother-s 
knew not God, she the more earnestly endeavored to 
link his soul with heaven. She sought to implant in 
his heart love and loyalty to God. And faithfully was 
the work accomplished. Those principles of truth that 
were the burden of his mother's teaching and the lesson 
of her life, no after-influence could induce Moses to 
renounce. 

1 2 Tim. 2: 15. 



Teaching 



62 



Illustrations 



In the 

Schools 

of Egypt 



The Lesson 
of Defeat 



Training for 

Leadership 



From the humble home in Goshen, the son of 
Jochebed passed to the palace of the Pharaohs, to the 
Egyptian princess, by her to be welcomed as a loved 
and cherished son. In the schools of Egypt, Moses 
received the highest civil and military training. Of 
great personal attractions, noble in form and stature, of 
cultivated mind and princely bearing, and renowned as 
a military leader, he became the nation's pride. The 
king of Egypt was also a member of the priesthood ; 
and Moses, though refusing to participate in the heathen 
worship, was initiated into all the mysteries of the 
Egyptian religion. Egypt at this time being still the 
most powerful and most highly civilized of nations, 
Moses, as its prospective sovereign, was heir to the 
highest honors this world could bestow. But his was 
a nobler choice. For the honor of God and the deliver- 
ance of His downtrodden people, Moses sacrificed the 
honors of Egypt. Then, in a special sense, God under- 
took his training. 

Not yet was Moses prepared for his life-work. He 
had yet to learn the lesson of dependence upon divine 
power. He had mistaken God's purpose. It was his 
hope to deliver Israel by force of arms. For this he 
risked all, and failed. In defeat and disappointment he 
became a fugitive and exile in a strange land. 

In the wilds of Midian, Moses spent forty years as 
a keeper of sheep. Apparently cut off forever from his 
life's mission, he was receiving the discipline essential 
for its fulfilment. Wisdom to govern an ignorant and 
undisciplined multitude must be gained through self- 
mastery. In the care of the sheep and the tender 
lambs he must obtain the experience that would make 
him a faithful, long-suffering shepherd to Israel. That 



Lives of Great Men 63 

he might become a representative of God, he must learn 
of Him. 

The influences that had surrounded him in Egypt, 
the affection of his foster-mother, his own position as 
the grandson of the king, the luxury and vice that 
allured in ten thousand forms, the refinement, the sub- 
tlety, and the mysticism of a false religion, had made 
an impression on his mind and character. In the stern 
simplicity of the wilderness, all this disappeared. 

Amidst the solemn majesty of the mountain soli- .\ionc 
tudes, Moses was alone with God. Everywhere the 
Creator's name was written. Moses seemed to stand 
in His presence, and to be overshadowed by His power. 
Here his self-sufficiency was swept away. In the pres- 
ence of the Infinite One he realized how weak, how 
inefficient, how short-sighted, is man. 

Here Moses gained that which went with him 
throughout the years of his toilsome and care-burdened 
life, — a sense of the personal presence of the Divine 
One. Not merely did he look down the ages for Christ 
to be made manifest in the flesh ; he saw Christ accom- 
panying the host of Israel in all their travels. When 
misunderstood and misrepresented, when called to bear 
reproach and insult, to face danger and death, he was 
able to endure "as seeing Him who is invisible." 1 

Moses did not merely think of God, he saw Him. 
God was the constant vision before him. Never did he 
lose sight of His face. 

To Moses faith was no guesswork; it was a reality. Power 
He believed that God ruled his life in particular; and Fajtll 
in all its details he acknowledged Him. For strength 
to withstand every temptation, he trusted in Him. 

The great work assigned him he desired to make in 

1 Heb. 11 : 27. 



6 4 



Illustrations 



Results 

oi His 

Training 



the highest degree successful, and he placed his whole 
dependence upon divine power. He felt his need of 
help, asked for it, by faith grasped it, and in the assur- 
ance of sustaining strength went forward. 

Such was the experience that Moses gained by his 
forty years of training in the desert. To impart such 
an experience, Infinite Wisdom counted not the period 
too long or the price too great. 

The results of that training, of the lessons there 
taught, are bound up, not only with the history of 
Israel, but with all which from that day to this has told 
fir the world's progress. The highest testimony to the 
greatness of Moses, the judgment passed upon his life 
by Inspiration, is, "There arose not a prophet since in 
Israel like unto Moses, whom Jehovah knew face to 
face." 1 



I 'mi l 



An Hebrew 
of the 

Hebrews" 



With the faith and experience of the Galilean dis- 
ciples who had companied with Jesus were united, in 
the work of the gospel, the fiery vigor and intellectual 
power of a rabbi of Jerusalem. A Roman citizen, born 
in a Gentile city; a Jew, not only by descent but by 
lifelong training, patriotic devotion, and religious faith ; 
educated in Jerusalem by the most eminent of the 
rabbis, and instructed in all the laws and traditions of 
the fathers, Saul of Tarsus shared to the fullest extent 
the pride and the prejudices of his nation. While still 
a young man, he became an honored member of the 
Sanhedrin. He was looked upon as a man of promise, 
a zealous defender of the ancient faith. 

In the theological schools of Judea, the word 
of God had been set aside for human speculations; 
it was robbed of its power by the interpretations and 

Deut. 34 :io. 



Lives of Great Men 



65 



traditions of the rabbis. Self-aggrandizement, love of 
domination, jealous exclusiveness, bigotry and contemp- 
tuous pride, were the ruling principles and motives of 
these teachers. 

The rabbis gloried in their superiority, not only to 
the people of other nations, but to the masses of their 
own. With their fierce hatred of their Roman oppress- 
ors, they cherished the determination to recover by force 
of arms their national supremacy. The followers of 
Jesus, whose message of peace was so contrary to 
their schemes of ambition, they hated and put to death. 
In this persecution, Saul was one of the most bitter and 
relentless actors. 

In the military schools of Egypt, Moses was taught 
the law of force, and so strong a hold did this teaching 
have upon his character that it required forty years of 
quiet and communion with God and nature to fit him 
for the leadership of Israel by the law of love. The 
same lesson Paul had to learn. 

At the gate of Damascus the vision of the Crucified 
One changed the whole current of his life. The perse- 
cutor became a disciple, the teacher a learner. The 
days of darkness spent in solitude at Damascus were 
as years in his experience. The Old Testament Scrip- 
tures stored in his memory were his study, and Christ 
his teacher. To him also nature's solitudes became a 
school. To the desert of Arabia he went, there to 
study the Scriptures and to learn of God. He emptied 
his soul of the prejudices and traditions that had shaped 
his life, and received instruction from the Source of 
truth. 

His after-life was inspired by the one principle of 
self-sacrifice, the ministry of love. "I am debtor," he 
5 



A deader in 
Persecution 



The \ r ision 
of the 
Crucified 



66 



Illustrations 



Craftsman, 

Treacher, 

Missionary 



said, "both to the Greeks, and to the barbarians; both 
to the wise, and to the unwise." "The love of Christ 
constraineth us." 1 

The greatest of human teachers, Paul accepted the 
lowliest as well as the highest duties. He recognized 
the necessity of labor for the hand as well as for the 
mind, and he wrought at a handicraft for his own sup- 
port. His trade of tent-making he pursued while daily 
preaching the gospel in the great centers of civilization. 
"These hands," he said, at parting with the elders of 
Ephesus, "have ministered unto my necessities, and to 
them that were with me." 2 

While he possessed high intellectual endowments, 
the life of Paul revealed the power of a rarer wisdom. 
Principles of deepest import, principles concerning which 
the greatest minds of his time were ignorant, are un- 
folded in his teachings and exemplified in his life. Ik- 
had that greatest of all wisdom, which gives quickness 
of insight and sympathy of heart, which brings man in 
touch with men, and enables him to arouse their better 
nature and inspire them to a higher life. 

Listen to his words before the heathen Lystrians, as 
he points them to God revealed in nature, the Source of 
all good, who "gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful 
seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." 3 

See him in the dungeon at Philippi, where, despite 
his pain-racked body, his song of praise breaks the 
silence of midnight. After the earthquake has opened 
the prison doors, his voice is again heard, in words of 
Mastership cheer to the heathen jailer, "Do thyself no harm; for 
we are all here," 4 — every man in his place, restrained by 
the presence of one fellow-prisoner. And the jailer, 
convicted of the reality of that faith which sustains 



Sympathy 

and 

Insight 



1 Rom. I : 14; 2 Cor. 5:14. 
■ Vets 1 1 : 17. 



2 Acts 20 : ;|. 

' VctS 16: 2S. 



Lives of Great Men 67 

Paul, inquires the way of salvation, and with his whole 
household unites with the persecuted band of Christ's 
disciples. 

See Paul at Athens before the council of the Areop- 
agus, as he meets science with science, logic with logic, 
and philosophy with philosophy. Mark how, with 
the tact born of divine love, he points to Jehovah as 
the " Unknown God," whom his hearers have igno- 
rantly worshiped; and in words quoted from a poet of ln Advance 

, . , . T T . T , , . . of His Age 

their own he pictures Him as a rather whose children 
they are. Hear him, in that age of caste, when the 
rights of man as man were wholly unrecognized, as 
he sets forth the great truth of human brotherhood, 
declaring that God " hath made of one blood all nations 
of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth." Then 
he shows how, through all the dealings of God with 
man, runs like a thread of gold His purpose of grace 
and mercy. He "hath determined the times before 
appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they 
should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after 
Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every 
one of us." ' 

Hear him in the court of Fcstus, when King 
Agrippa, convicted of the truth of the gospel, exclaims, 
"Almost thou persuadest me "to be a Christian." With 
what gentle courtesy does Paul, pointing to his own 
chain, make answer, "I would to God, that not only 
thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both 
almost and altogether such as I am, except these 
bonds." 2 

Thus passed his life, as described in his own words, a strenuous 
"in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of L,fe 
robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by 

1 Acts 17 : 23, 26, 27. - Acts 26 : 2,s, 29. 



68 , J// list rations 

the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilder- 
ness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 
in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in 
hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and naked- 
ness." 1 

"Being reviled," he said, "we bless; being perse - 
r iic joy cuted, we suffer it; being defamed, we entreat;" "as 

of Service r , , , . 

sorrowful, yet ahvay rejoicing; as poor, yet making 
main' rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all 
things."' 2 

In service he found his joy; and at the close of his 
life of toil, looking back on its struggles and triumphs, 
he could say, "I have fought a good fight." 3 



These histories are of vital interest. To none are 
they of deeper importance than to the youth. Moses 
renounced a prospective kingdom, Paul the advantages 
of wealth and honor among his people, for a life of 
burden-bearing in God's service. To many the life of 
these men appears one of renunciation and sacrifice. 
Was it really so? Moses counted the reproach of 
Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. He 
counted it so because it was so. Paul declared: "What 
things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for 
satisfied Christ. Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss 

with Their . . . r . . 

choice for the excellency ol the knowledge ot Christ Jesus my 
Lord; for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and 
do count them but refuse that I may gain Christ." 4 He 
was satisfied with his choice. 

Moses was offered the palace of the Pharaohs and 
the monarch's throne; but the sinful pleasures that 
make men forget God were in those lordly courts, and 

1 ( 'in- 1 1 : 26, 27. J 1 ( "i . 4 : 12, 13; 2 Cor. 6 : 10. 

;: 2 Tim. 4:7. 4 Hnl. 3 : 7. s. R. v., margin. 



Lives of Great Men 



69 



he chose instead the "durable riches and righteous- 
ness." 1 Instead of linking himself with the greatness 
of Egypt, he chose to bind up his life with God's pur- 
pose. Instead of giving laws to Egypt, he by divine 
direction enacted laws for the world. He became 
God's instrument in giving to men those principles that 
are the safeguard alike of the home and of society, that 
arc the corner-stone of the prosperity of nations, — prin- 
ciples recognized to-day by the world's greatest men 
as the foundation of all that is best in human govern- 
ments. 

The greatness of Egypt is in the dust. Its power 
and civilization have passed away. But the work of 
Moses can never perish. The great principles of right- 
eousness which he lived to establish are eternal. 

Moses' life of toil and heart-burdening care was irra- 
diated with the presence of Him who is "the chiefest 
among ten thousand," and the One "altogether lovely." 2 
With Christ in the wilderness wandering, with Christ on 
the mount of transfiguration, with Christ in the heavenly 
courts, — his was a life on earth blessing and blessed, 
and in heaven honored. 

Paul also in his manifold labors was upheld by 
the sustaining power of His presence. "I can do all 
things," he said, "through Christ which strengtheneth 
me." "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 
shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, 
or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . Nay, in all 
these things we are more than conquerors through Him 
that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, 
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor 
things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor 
depth, nor any other created thing, a shall be able to 



The 

A biding 

Grentness 



With Christ 



IPiov. 8:8. 



- ( 'ant. 5 : 10, 16. 



! Rotlierham's translation. 



7<D 1/ lustra/ ion s 

separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ 
Jesus our Lord." 1 

Yet there is a future joy to which Paul looked for- 
ward as the recompense of his labors, — the same joy for 
the sake of which Christ endured the cross and despised 
the shame, — the joy of seeing the fruition of his work. 
Life's "What is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing?" he 

ttnpense 

wrote to the Thessalonian converts. "Are not even ye 
in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? 
For ye are our glory and joy."" 

Who can measure the results to the world of Paul's 
life-work? Of all those beneficent influences that alle- 
viate suffering, that comfort sorrow, that restrain evil, 
that uplift life from the selfish and the sensual, and 
glorify it with the hope of immortality, how much is 
due to the labors of Paul and his fellow-workers, as with 
the gospel of the Son of God they made their unnoticed 
journey from Asia to the shores of Europe? 

What is it worth to any life to have been God's 
instrument in setting in motion such influences of bless- 
ing? What will it be worth in eternity to witness the 
results of such a life-work? 

1 Phil | : 13; Rom. 8 : 35-39. - I Tliess. -• . 19. 20. 



The Master Teacher 



"Never man spake like this Man.'" 



T h e Te a c her S ent 

from God 



"consider him" 

T ' TIS name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, 
-* -*■ the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the 
Prince of peace." 1 

In the Teacher sent from God, heaven gave to men 
its best and greatest. He who had stood in the coun- Heaven's 
cils of the Most High, who had dwelt in the innermost latest 
sanctuary of the Eternal, was the One chosen to reveal 
in person to humanity the knowledge of God. 

Through Christ had been communicated every ray 
of divine light that had ever reached our fallen world. 
It was He who had spoken through every one that 
throughout the ages had declared God's word to man. 
Of Him all the excellences manifest in the earth's 
greatest and noblest souls were reflections. The purity 
and beneficence of Joseph, the faith and meekness and The Perfect 
long-suffering of Moses, the steadfastness of Elisha, the 
noble integrity and firmness of Daniel, the ardor and 
self-sacrifice of Paul, the mental and spiritual power man- 
ifest in all these men, and in all others who had ever 
dwelt on the earth, were but gleams from the shining 
of His glory. In Him was found the perfect ideal. 

To reveal this ideal as the only true standard for 
attainment; to show what every human being might 

>Isa. 9:6. (73) 



74 The Master Teacher 

become; what, through the indwelling of humanity by 
divinity, all who received Him would become, — for this, 
Christ came to the world. He came to show how men 
are to be trained as befits the sons of God; how on 
earth the}' are to practise the principles and to live the 
life of heaven, 

God's greatest gift was bestowed to meet man's 
Results of greatest need. The Light appeared when the world's 
Teaching darkness was deepest. Through false teaching, the 
minds of men had long been turned away from God. 
In the prevailing systems of education, human philos- 
ophy had taken the place of divine revelation. Instead 
of the heavenrgiven standard of truth, men had ac- 
cepted a standard of their own devising. From the 
Light of life they had turned aside to walk in the sparks 
of the fire which they had kindled. 

Having separated from God, their only dependence 
being the power of humanity, their strength was but 
pretense for weakness. Even the standard set up by themselves 
they were incapable of reaching. The want of true 
excellence was supplied by appearance and profession. 
Semblance took the place of reality. 

From time to time, teachers arose who pointed men 
to the Source of truth. Right principles were enunci- 
ated, and human lives witnessed to their power. But 
these efforts made no lasting impression. There was 
a brief check in the current of evil, but its downward 
course was not stayed. The reformers were as lights 
that shone in the darkness; but they could not dispel 
it. The world "loved darkness rather than light." 1 

When Christ came to the earth, humanity seemed 
to be fast reaching its lowest point. The very founda- 
tions of society were undermined. Life had become 

1 John 3: 19. 



Reality 



The Teacher Sent from God 



75 



false and artificial. The Jews, destitute of the power 
of God's word, gave to the world mind-benumbing, 
soul-deadening traditions and speculations. The wor- 
ship of God "in Spirit and in truth," had been sup- 
planted by the glorification of men in an endless round 
of man-made ceremonies. Throughout the world, all 
systems of religion were losing their hold on mind and 
soul. Disgusted with fable and falsehood, seeking to 
drown thought, men turned to infidelity and materi- 
alism. Leaving eternity out of their reckoning, they 
lived for the present. 

As they ceased to recognize the Divine, they ceased 
to regard the human. Truth, honor, integrity, con- 
fidence, compassion, were departing from the earth. 
Relentless greed and absorbing ambition gave birth to 
universal distrust. The idea of duty, of the obligation 
of strength to weakness, of human dignity and human 
rights, was cast aside as a dream or a fable. The com- 
mon people were regarded as beasts of burden or as 
the tools and the stepping-stones for ambition. Wealth 
and power, ease and self-indulgence, were sought as 
the highest good. Physical degeneracy, mental stupor, 
spiritual death, characterized the age. 

As the evil passions and purposes of men banished 
God from their thoughts, so forgetfulness of Him in- 
clined them more strongly to evil. The heart in love 
with sin clothed Him with its own attributes, and this 
conception strengthened the power of sin. Bent on 
self-pleasing, men came to regard God as such a one as 
themselves, — a Being whose aim was self-glory, whose 
requirements were suited to His own pleasure; a Being 
by whom men were lifted up or cast down according 
as they helped or hindered His selfish purpose. The 



Formalism . 
Materialism 



Human 

Rights 

Disregarded 



Misconceptio n 
of God 



7 6 



The Master Teacher 



Evil 
Unrestrained 



The Power 

of a 

New Life 



With 

the Love of 

Eternity 



lower classes regarded the Supreme Being as one 
scarcely differing from their oppressors, save by ex- 
ceeding them in power. By these ideas every form of 
religion was moulded. Each was a system of exaction. 
By gifts and ceremonies, the worshipers sought to pro- 
pitiate the Deity, in order to secure His favor for their 
own ends. Such religion, having no power upon the 
heart or the conscience, could be but a round of forms, 
of which men wearied, and from which, except for such 
gain as it might offer, they longed to be free. So evil, 
unrestrained, grew stronger, while the appreciation and 
desire for good diminished. Men lost the image of 
God, and received the impress of the demoniacal power 
by which they were controlled. The whole world was 
becoming a sink of corruption. 

There was but one hope for the human race, — that 
into this mass of discordant and corrupting elements 
might be cast a new leaven ; that there might be brought 
to mankind the power of a new life; that the knowledge 
of God might be restored to the world. 

Christ came to restore this knowledge. He came to 
set aside the false teaching by which those who claimed 
to know God had misrepresented Him. He came to 
manifest the nature of His law, to reveal in His own 
character the beauty of holiness. 

Christ came to the world with the accumulated love 
of eternity. Sweeping away the exactions which had 
encumbered the law of God, He showed that the law is 
a law of love, an expression of the Divine Goodness. 
He showed that in obedience to its principles is involved 
the happiness of mankind, and with it the stability, the 
very foundation and framework, of human society. 

So far from making arbitrary requirements, God's law 



The Teacher Sent from God 



77 



is given to men as a hedge, a shield. Whoever accepts 
its principles is preserved from evil. Fidelity to God 
involves fidelity to man. Thus the law guards the 
rights, the individuality, of every human being. It 
restrains the superior from oppression, and the subor- 
dinate from disobedience. It insures man's well-being, 
both for this world and foi the world to come. To the 
obedient it is the pledge of eternal life; for it expresses 
the principles that endure forever. 

Christ came to demonstrate the value of the divine 
principles by revealing their power for the regeneration 
of humanity. He came to teach how these principles 
are to be developed and applied. 

With the people of that age, the value of all things 
was determined by outward show. As religion had 
declined in power, it had increased in pomp. The edu- 
cators of the time sought to command respect by display 
and ostentation. To all this the life of Jesus presented 
a marked contrast. His life demonstrated the worth- 
lessness of those things that men regarded as life's great 
essentials. Born amidst surroundings the rudest, shar- 
ing a peasant's home, a peasant's fare, a craftsman's 
occupation, living a life of obscurity, identifying Himself 
with the world's unknown toilers, — amidst these condi- 
tions and surroundings, — Jesus followed the divine plan 
of education. The schools of His time, with their mag- 
nifying of things small and their belittling of things 
great, He did not . seek. His education was gained 
directly from the Heaven-appointed sources; from useful 
work, from the study of the Scriptures and of nature, 
and from the experiences of life, — God's lesson-books, 
full of instruction to all who bring to them the willing 
hand, the seeing eye, and the understanding heart. 



Dan ons I ru tio n 
of True 
Principles 



Simplicity 



78 The Master Teacher 

"The Child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled 
with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him." ' 

Thus prepared, He went forth to I lis mission, in 
every moment of His contact with men. exerting upon 
them an influence to bless, a power to transform, such 
as the world had never witnessed. 

He who seeks to transform humanity must himself 
Sympathy understand humanity. Only through sympathy, faith, 
and love can men be reached and uplifted. Here Christ 
stands revealed as the master teacher; of all that ever 
dwelt on the earth, He alone has perfect understanding 
of the human soul. 

"We have not a high priest" — master teacher, for 
the priests were teachers — " we have not a high priest 
that can not be touched with the feeling of our infirmi- 
ties ; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as 
we are." ' l 

"In that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, 
He is able to succor them that are tempted." : 

Christ alone had experience in all the sorrows and 
temptations that befall human beings. Never another of 
woman born was so fiercely beset by temptation; never 
another bore so heavy a burden of the world's sin and 
pain. Never was there another whose sympathies were 
so broad or so tender. A sharer in all the experiences 
of humanity, He could feel not only for, but with, every 
burdened and tempted and struggling one. 

What He taught, He lived. " I have given you an 
example," He said to His disciples ; "that ye should do 
as I have done." "I have kept My Father's command- 
ments." * Thus in His life, Christ's words had perfect 
illustration and support. And more than this; what He 
taught, He was. His words were the expression, not 

iLuke (o. "HetM : '5, R. V. 

;; Heb. 'John \y. 15; i;, : 10. 



The Teacher Sent from God 



79 



only of His own life-experience, but of His own char- 
acter. Not only did He teach the truth, but He was 
the truth. It was this that gave His teaching power. 

Christ was a faithful reprover. Never lived there 
another who so hated evil ; never another whose denun- 
ciation of it was so fearless. To all things untrue and 
base His very presence was a rebuke. In the light of 
His purity, men saw themselves unclean, their life's aims 
mean and false. Yet He drew them. He who had 
created man, understood the value of humanity. Evil 
He denounced as the foe of those whom He was seeking 
to bless and to save. In every human being, however 
fallen, He beheld a son of God, one who might be 
restored to the privilege of his divine relationship. 

"God sent not His Son into the world to condemn 
the world; but that the world through Him might be 
saved." 1 Looking upon men in their suffering and 
degradation, Christ perceived ground for hope where 
appeared only despair and ruin. Wherever there existed 
a sense of need, there He saw opportunity for uplifting. 
Souls tempted, defeated, feeling themselves lost, ready to 
perish, He met, not with denunciation, but with blessing. 

The beatitudes were His greeting to the whole 
human family. Looking upon the vast throng gathered 
to listen to the sermon on the mount, He seemed for the 
moment to have forgotten that He was not in heaven, 
and He used the familiar salutation of the world of light. 
From His lips flowed blessings as the gushing forth of a 
long-sealed fountain. 

Turning from the ambitious, self-satisfied favorites 
of this world, He declared that those were blessed 
who, however great their need, would receive His light 
and love. To the poor in spirit, the sorrowing, the 

'John 5 : 17. 



Power to 
Win Hearts 



Salutation 
Of Blessing 



So 



The Master Teacher 



Perception 
of Man's 

Possibilities 



tu the 

Secret Place 

of Power 



persecuted, He stretched out His arms, saying, "Come 
unto Me. ... I will give you rest."' 

In every human being He discerned infinite possibil- 
ities. He saw men as they might be, transfigured by 
His grace, — in "the beaut)- of the Lord our God." 2 
Looking upon them with hope, He inspired hope. 
Meeting them with confidence, He inspired trust. Re- 
vealing in Himself man's true ideal, He awakened, for 
its attainment, both desire and faith. In His presence 
souls despised and fallen realized that they still were 
men, and they longed to prove themselves worthy of 
His regard. In many a heart that seemed dead to all 
things holy were awakened new impulses. To main- a 
despairing one there opened the possibility of a new life. 

Christ bound men to His heart by the ties of love 
and devotion ; and by the same ties He bound them to 
their fellow-men. With Him love was life, and life was 
service. "Freely ye have received," He said, "freely 
give." 3 

It was not on the cross only that Christ sacrificed 
Himself for humanity. As " He went about doing 
good," * every day's experience was an outpouring of 
His life. In one way only could such a life be sustained. 
[esus lived in dependence upon God and communion 
with Him. To the secret place of the Most High, under 
the shadow of the Almighty, men now and then repair; 
they abide for a season, and the result is manifest in 
noble deeds; then their faith fails, the communion is 
interrupted, and the life-work marred. But the life of 
Jesus was a life of constant trust, sustained by con- 
tinual communion ; and His service for heaven and 
earth was without failure or faltering. 

As a man He supplicated the throne of God, till His 

1 Matt. Ii:28. -IV yu : 17. "Matt. io:S. *ActS 10:38 



The Teacher Sent from God 



Si 



humanity was charged with a heavenly current that con- 
nected humanity with divinity. Receiving life from God, 
He imparted life to men. 

"Never man spake like this Man." 1 This would 
have been true of Christ had He taught only in the 
realm of the physical and the intellectual, or in mat- 
ters of theory and speculation solely. He might have 
unlocked mysteries that have required centuries of toil 
and study to penetrate. He might have made sugges- 
tions in scientific lines that, till the close of time, would 
have afforded food for thought and stimulus for inven- 
tion. But He did not do this. He said nothing to 
gratify curiosity or to stimulate selfish ambition. He 
did not deal in abstract theories, but in that which is 
essential to the development of character; that which 
will enlarge man's capacity for knowing God, and 
increase his power to do good. He spoke of those 
truths that relate to the conduct of life, and that unite 
man with eternity. 

Instead of directing the people to study men's the- 
ories about God, His word, or His works, He taught 
them to behold Him, as manifested in His works, in 
His word, and by His providences. He brought their 
minds in contact with the mind of the Infinite. 

The people "were astonished at His teaching;'" for 
His word was with power. " a Never before spoke one 
who had such power to awaken thought, to kindle aspira- 
tion, to arouse every capability of body, mind, and soul. 

Christ's teaching, like His sympathies, embraced the 
world. Never can there be a circumstance of life, a 
crisis in human experience, which has not been antici- 
pated in His teaching, and for which its principles have 
not a lesson. The Prince of teachers, His words will 

'John 7:46. 2 R. V. 3 Luke 4:32. 



The Scope 
of His 
Teaching 



For 

All Men 

and 

All Ages 



82 The Master Traclio 

be found a guide to His co-workers till the end of time. 

To Him the present and the future, the near and the 
far, were one. He had in view the needs of all man- 
kind. Before His mind's eye was outspread every scene 
of human effort and achievement, of temptation and con- 
flict, of perplexity and peril. All hearts, all homes, all 
pleasures and joys and aspirations, were known to Him. 

He spoke not only for, but to, all mankind. To the 
little child, in the gladness of life's morning; to the 
eager, restless heart of youth ; to men in the strength of 
their years, bearing the burden of responsibility and 
care; to the aged in their weakness and weariness, — 
to all, His message was spoken, — to every child of 
humanity, in every land and in every age. 

In His teaching were embraced the things of time 
Life's True anc [ t ne things of eternity, — things seen, in their relation 

Valuation .... 

to things unseen, the passing incidents of common life 
and the solemn issues of the life to come. 

The things of this life He placed in their true rela- 
tion, as subordinate to those of eternal interest; but He 
did not ignore their importance. He taught that heaven 
and earth are linked together, and that a knowledge of 
divine truth prepares man better to perform the duties 
of daily life. 

To Him nothing was without purpose. The sports 
of the child, the toils of the man, life's pleasures and 
cares and pains, all were means to the one end, — the 
revelation of God for the uplifting of humanity. 

From His lips the word of God came home to 
"God men's hearts with new power and new meaning. His 
teaching caused the things of creation to stand out in 
new light. Upon the face of nature once more rested 
gleamings of that brightness which sin had banished. 



with Us" 



The Teacher Sent from God 83 

In all the facts and experiences of life were revealed 
a divine lesson and the possibility of divine compan- 
ionship. Again God dwelt on earth; human hearts 
became conscious of His presence; the world was 
encompassed with His love. Heaven came down to 
men. In Christ their hearts acknowledged Him who 
had opened to them the science of eternity, — 
"Immanuel, God with us." 



In the Teacher sent from God, all true educational 
work finds its center. Of this work to-day as verily as 
of the work. He established eighteen hundred years ago, 
the Saviour speaks in the words, — 

"I am the first and the last, and the Living; One." " TLc pirsi 

b and 

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the Last" 
the end." ' 

In the presence of such a Teacher, of such oppor- 
tunity for divine education, what worse than folly is 
it to seek an education apart from Him, — to seek to 
be wise apart from Wisdom; to be true while rejecting 
Truth; to seek illumination apart from the Light, and 
existence without the Life ; to turn from the Fountain 
of living waters, and hew out broken cisterns, that can 
hold no water. 

Behold, He is still inviting: "If any man thirst, let 
him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on 
Me, as the Scripture hath said," out of him "shall flow 
rivers of living water." "The water that I shall give 
him shall become in him a well of water springing up 
unto eternal life."" 

1 Rev. 1 : 17, R. V.; 21 : 6, R. V. - John 7 : 57. 38; 4 : 14, R. V. 



ZLn Illustration of His 
Methods 



"unto the men whom thou 
g a v e s t m e , i have m a n i - 

I ESTED THY NAM k" 



Training 

of the 

Twelve 



The Family 

School 



r l^ HE most complete illustration of Christ's methods 
-* as a teacher is found in His training of the twelve 
first disciples. Upon these men were to rest weighty 
responsibilities. He had chosen them as men whom 
He could imbue with His Spirit, and who could be 
fitted to carry forward His work on earth when He 
should leave it. To them, above all others, He gave 
the advantage of His own companionship. Through 
personal association He impressed Himself upon these 
chosen co-laborers. "The Life was manifested," says 
John the beloved, "and we have seen it, and bear 
witness." 1 

Only by such communion, — the communion of mind 
with mind and heart with heart, of the human with the 
divine, — can be communicated that vitalizing energy 
which it is the work of true education to impart. It 
is only life that begets life. 

In the training of His disciples the Saviour followed 
the system of education established at the beginning. 
The twelve first chosen, with a few others who through 
ministry to their needs were from time to time connected 
with them, formed the family of Jesus. They were 

(84) 1 1 John 1 : 2. 



An Illustration of His Methods 



85 



with Him in the house, at the table, in the closet, in 
the field. The)' accompanied Him on His journeys, 
shared His trials and hardships, and, as much as in 
them was, entered into His work. 

Sometimes He taught them as they sat together on 
the mountainside, sometimes beside the sea, or from the 
fisherman's boat, sometimes as they walked by the way. 
Whenever He spoke to the multitude, the disciples 
formed the inner circle. They pressed close beside 
Him, that they might lose nothing of His instruction. 
They were attentive listeners, eager to understand the 
truths they were to teach in all lands and to all ages. 

The first pupils of Jesus were chosen from the ranks 
of the common people. They were humble, unlettered 
men, these fishers of Galilee; men unschooled in the 
learning and customs of the rabbis, but trained by the 
stern discipline of toil and hardship. They were men of 
native ability and of teachable spirit; men who could be 
instructed and moulded for the Saviour's work. In the 
common walks of life there is many a toiler patiently 
treading the round of his daily tasks, unconscious of 
latent powers that, roused to action, would place him 
among the world's great leaders. Such were the men 
who were called by the Saviour to be His co-laborers. 
And they had the advantage of three years' training by 
the greatest educator this world has ever known. 

In these first disciples was presented a marked 
diversity. They were to be the world's teachers, and 
they represented widely varied types of character. 
There were Levi Matthew the publican, called from a 
life of business activity, and subservience to Rome; the 
zealot Simon, the uncompromising foe of the imperial 
authority; the impulsive, self-sufficient, warm-hearted 



From 

the Common 

People 



Types of 
Character 



86 



The Master Teacher 



To Come 
into Unity 



Peter, with Andrew his brother; Judas the Judean, 
polished, capable, and mean-spirited ; Philip and Thomas, 
faithful and earnest, yet slow of heart to believe; James 
the less and Jude, of less prominence among" the breth- 
ren, but men of force, positive both in their faults and in 
their virtues; Nathanael, a child in sincerity and trust; 
and the ambitious, loving-hearted sons of Zebedee. 

In order successfully to carry forward the work to 
which they had been called, these disciples, differing 
so widely in natural characteristics, in training, and in 
habits of life, needed to come into unity of feeling, 
thought, and action. This unity it was Christ's object 
to secure. To this end He sought to bring then} into 
unity with Himself. The burden of His labor for them 
is expressed in His prayer to the Father, "that they all 
may.be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, 
that they also may be one in Us; . . . that the 
world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast 
loved them, as Thou hast loved Me." 1 



Of the twelve disciples, four were to act a leading 
part, each in a distinct line. In preparation for this, 
Christ taught them, foreseeing all. James, destined to 
swift-coming death by the sword; John, longest of the 
brethren to follow his Master in labor and persecution ; 
Peter, the pioneer in breaking through the barriers of 
ages, and teaching the heathen world ; and Judas, in 
service capable of pre-eminence above his brethren, yet 
brooding in his soul purposes of whose ripening he 
little dreamed, — these were the objects of Christ's great- 
est solicitude, and the recipients of His most frequent 
and careful instruction. 

'John 17:21-23. 



An Illustration of His Methods 87 

Peter, James, and John sought every opportunity of 
coming into close contact with their Master, and their John 
desire was granted. Of all the twelve their relation- 
ship to Him was closest. John could be satisfied only 
with a still nearer intimacy, and this he obtained. At 
that first conference beside the Jordan, when Andrew, 
having heard Jesus, hurried away to call his brother, 
John sat silent, rapt in the contemplation of won- 
drous themes. He followed the Saviour, ever an eager, 
absorbed listener. Yet John's was no faultless char- 
acter. He was no gentle, dreamy enthusiast. He and 
his brother were called "the sons of thunder." 1 John 
was proud, ambitious, combative; but beneath all this 
the divine Teacher discerned the ardent, sincere, loving 
heart. Jesus rebuked his self-seeking, disappointed his 
ambitions, tested his faith. But He revealed to him that 
for which his soul longed, — the beauty of holiness, His 
own transforming love. "Unto the men which Thou 
gavest Me out of the world," He said to the Father, 
"I have manifested Thy name." 2 

John's was a nature that longed for love, for sym- 
pathy and companionship. He pressed close to Jesus, Fellowship; 
sat by His side, leaned upon His breast. As a flower 
the sun and dew, so did he drink in the divine light and 
life. In adoration and love he beheld the Saviour, until 
likeness to Christ and fellowship with Him became his 
one desire, and in his character was reflected the char- 
acter of his Master. 

"Behold," he said, "what manner of love the Father 
hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the 
sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us not, 
because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the 
sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall 

1 Mark 3 : 17. ^John 17:6. 



Transforma- 
tion 



88 The Master Teacher 

be; but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall 
be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every 
man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even 
as He is pure." 1 



The history of no one of the disciples better illus- 
Peter trates Christ's method of training than does the history 
of Peter. Bold, aggressive, and self-confident, quick 
to perceive and forward to act, prompt in retaliation 
yet generous in forgiving, Peter often erred, and often 
received reproof. Nor were his warm-hearted loyalty 
and devotion to Christ the less decidedly recognized 
and commended. Patiently, with discriminating love, 
the Saviour dealt with His impetuous disciple, seeking 
to check his self-confidence, and to teach him humility, 
obedience, and trust. 

But only in part was the lesson learned. Self- 
assurance was not uprooted. 

Often Jesus, the burden heavy upon His own heart, 
sought to open to the disciples the scenes of His trial 
and suffering. But their eyes were holden. The knowl- 
edge was unwelcome, and they did not see. Self-pity, 
that shrank from fellowship with Christ in suffering, 
prompted Peter's remonstrance, "Pity Thyself, Lord; 
this shall not be unto Thee." 1 His words expressed 
the thought and feeling of the twelve. 

So they went on, the crisis drawing nearer; they, 
boastful, contentious, in anticipation apportioning regal 
honors, and dreaming not of the cross. 

For them all, Peter's experience had a lesson. To 
self-trust, trial is defeat. The sure outworking of evil 
still unforsaken, Christ could not prevent. But as His 
hand had been outstretched to save when the waves 



Rebuke 

That 

Reclaims 



1 i John 3: 1-3 



'-' Matt. 16 : 22, margin. 



An Illustration of His Methods 89 

were about to sweep over Peter, so did His love reach 
out for his rescue when the deep waters swept over his 
soul. Over and over again, on the very verge of ruin, 
Peter's words of boasting brought him nearer and still 
nearer to the brink. Over and over again was given 
the warning, "Thou shalt . . . deny that thou 
knowest Me." 1 It was the grieved, loving heart of 
the disciple that spoke out in the avowal, "Lord,T am 
ready to go with Thee, both into prison, and to death;" 2 
and He who reads the heart gave to Peter the message, "i Have 
little valued then, but that in the swift-falling darkness r £^T. 
would shed a ray of hope: "Simon, Simon, behold, 
Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you 
as wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith 
fail not; and when thou art converted, strengthen thy 
brethren." 3 

When in the judgment-hall the words of denial had 
been spoken; when Peter's love and loyalty, awakened 
under the Saviour's glance of pity and love and sorrow, 
had sent him forth to the garden where Christ had wept 
and prayed; when his tears of remorse dropped upon 
the sod that had been moistened with the blood-drops 
of His agony, — then the Saviour's words, "I have prayed "when 

Thou Art 

for thee ; . . . when thou art converted, strengthen converted" 
thy brethren," were a stay to his soul. Christ, though 
foreseeing his sin, had not abandoned him to despair. 
If the look that Jesus cast upon him had spoken 
condemnation instead of pity ; if in foretelling the sin He 
had failed of speaking hope, how dense would have been 
the darkness that encompassed Peter! how reckless the 
despair of that tortured soul! In that hour of anguish 
and self-abhorrence, what could have held him back from 
the path trodden by Judas ? 

1 Luke 22 : 34. 2 I.uke 22 : 33. 3 Luke 22 : 31, 32. 



90 The Master Teacher 

He who could not spare His disciple the anguish, left 
Not Alone jjj m not a i one to its bitterness. His is a love that fails 
not nor forsakes. 

Human beings, themselves given to evil, are prone to 
deal un tenderly with the tempted and the erring. They 
can not read the heart, they know not its struggle and 
pain. Of the rebuke that is love, of the blow that 
wounds to heal, of the warning that speaks hope, they 
have need to learn. 

It was not John, the one who watched with Him 
in the judgment-hall, who stood beside His cross, and 
who of the twelve was first at the tomb, — it was not 
John, but Peter, .that was mentioned by name in the first 
message sent to the disciples by Christ after His resur- 
'Teii Peter" rection. "Tell His disciples and Peter," the angel said, 
"that He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye 
see Him." 1 

At the last meeting of Christ with the disciples 
by the sea, Peter, tested by the thrice-given question, 
" Lovest thou Me?" was restored to his place among the 
twelve. His work was appointed him; he was to feed 
the Lord's flock. Then, as His last personal direction, 
Jesus bade him, "Follow thou Me." 

Now he could appreciate the words. The lesson 
Christ had given when He set a little child in the midst 
rue Lesson of the disciples and bade them become like him, Peter 
could now better understand. Knowing more fully both 
his own weakness and Christ's power, he was ready to 
trust and to obey. . In His strength he could follow his 
Master. 

And at the close of his experience of labor and 
sacrifice, the disciple once so unready to discern the 
cross, counted it a joy to yield up his life for the 

'Mark 16:7. '^Jolm 21:17,62. 



An Illustration of His Methods 



91 



gospel, feeling only that, for him who had denied the 
Lord, to die in the same manner as his Master died 
was too great an honor. 

A miracle of divine tenderness was Peter's transfor- 
mation. It is a life-lesson to all who seek to follow in 
the steps of the Master Teacher. 



A Miracle 
of Miracles 



Jesus reproved His disciples, He warned and cau- 
tioned them ; but John and Peter and their brethren did 
not leave Him. Notwithstanding the reproofs, they 
chose to be with Jesus. And the Saviour did not, 
because of their errors, withdraw from them. He takes 
men as they are, with all their faults and weaknesses, and 
trains them for His service, if they will be disciplined 
and taught by Him. 

But there was one of the twelve to whom, until very 
near the close of His work, Christ spoke no word of 
direct reproof. 

With Judas an element of antagonism was introduced 
among the disciples. In connecting himself with Jesus 
he had responded to the attraction of His character 
and life. He had sincerely desired a change in himself, 
and had hoped to experience this through a union with 
Jesus. But this desire did not become predominant. 
That which ruled him was the hope of selfish benefit 
in the worldly kingdom which he expected Christ to 
establish. Though recognizing the divine power of the 
love of Christ, Judas did not yield to its supremacy. 
He continued to cherish his own judgment and opin- 
ions, his disposition to criticize and condemn. Christ's 
motives and movements, often so far above his compre- 
hension, excited doubt and disapproval, and his own 



Jnclas 



An 

Element of 
Antagonism 



9 2 



The Master Teacher 



Kot Conflict, 
but Healing 



Love 
Unfailing 



questionings, and ambitions were insinuated to the 
disciples. Many of their contentions for supremacy, 
much of their dissatisfaction with Christ's methods, 
originated with Judas. 

Jesus, seeing that to antagonize was but to harden, 
refrained from direct conflict. The narrowing selfishness 
of Judas' life, Christ sought to heal through contact 
with His own self-sacrificing love. In His teaching 
He unfolded principles that struck at the root of the 
disciple's self-centered ambitions. Lesson after lesson 
was thus given, and many a time Judas realized that 
his character had been portrayed, and his sin pointed 
out; but he would not yield. 

Mercy's pleading resisted, the impulse of evil bore 
final sway. Judas, angered at an implied rebuke, and 
made desperate by the disappointment of his ambitious 
dreams, surrendered his soul to the demon of greed, 
and determined upon the betrayal of his Master. From 
the Passover chamber, the joy of Christ's presence, and 
the light of immortal hope, he went forth to his evil 
work, — into the outer darkness, where hope was not. 

"Jesus knew from the beginning who they were 
that believed not, and who should betray Him." ' Yet, 
knowing all, He had withheld no pleading of mercy or 
gift of love. 

Seeing the danger of Judas, He had brought him 
close to Himself, within the inner circle of His chosen 
and trusted disciples. Day after day, when the burden 
lay heaviest upon His own heart, He had borne the 
pain of continual contact with that stubborn, suspi- 
cious, brooding spirit; He had witnessed and labored 
to counteract among His disciples that continuous, 
secret, and subtle antagonism. And all this that no 

'John 6:64. 



Aii Illustration of His Methods 



93 



possible saving influence might be lacking to that 

imperiled soul! 

" Many waters can not quench love, 
Neither can the floods drown it;" 
" For love is strong as death." 1 



So far as Judas himself was concerned, Christ's work 
of love had been without avail. But not so as regards 
his fellow-disciples. To them it was a lesson of lifelong 
influence. Ever would its example of tenderness and 
long-suffering mould their intercourse with the tempted 
and the erring. And it had other lessons. At the 
ordination of the twelve, the disciples had greatly 
desired that Judas should become one of their number ; 
and they had counted his accession an event of much 
promise to the apostolic band. He had come more 
into contact with the world than they, he was a man of 
good address, of discernment and executive ability, and, 
having a high estimate of his own qualifications, he had 
led the disciples to hold him in the same regard. But 
the methods he desired to introduce into Christ's work- 
were based upon worldly principles and were controlled 
by worldly policy. They looked to the securing of 
worldly recognition and honor, — to the obtaining of the 
kingdom of this world. The working out of these 
desires in the life of Judas, helped the disciples to 
understand the antagonism between the principle of 
self-aggrandizement and Christ's principle of humility 
and self-sacrifice, — the principle of the spiritual king- 
dom. In the fate of Judas they saw the end to which 
self-serving tends. 

For these disciples the mission of Christ finally 
accomplished its purpose. Little by little His example 

1 Cant. ,S : 7, 6. 



Warning 
u> the 
Eleven 



Goal 

of Worldly 

Wisdom 



94 



The Master Teacher 



Results of 

Christ 's 

Training 



Self-Distrust 



The Teacher 
of Truth 



and His lessons of self-abnegation moulded their char- 
acters. His death destroyed their hope of worldly 
greatness. The fall of Peter, the apostasy of Judas, 
their own failure in forsaking Christ in His anguish 
and peril, swept away their self-sufficiency. They saw 
their own weakness; they saw something of the great- 
ness of the work committed to them; they felt their 
need of their Master's guidance at every step. 

They knew that His personal presence was no 
longer to be with them, and they recognized, as they 
had never recognized before, the value of the oppor- 
tunities that had been theirs to walk and talk with the 
Sent of God. Many of His lessons, when spoken, they 
had not appreciated or understood; now they longed to 
recall these lessons, to hear again His words. With 
what joy now came back to them His assurance: — 

"It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I 
go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; 
but if I depart, I will send Him." "All things that I 
have heard of My Father I have made known unto 
you." And "the Comforter . . . whom the 
Father will send in My name, He shall teach you 
all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, 
whatsoever I have said unto you." 1 

"All things that the Father hath are Mine." "When 
1 le, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into 
all truth. . . . He shall receive of Mine, and shall 
show it unto you." ' 

The disciples had seen Christ ascend from among 
them on the Mount of Olives. And as the heavens 
received Him, there had come back to them His parting 
promise, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end 
of the world."'' 



1 John 16:7; 15:15; 14:26. 2 John 16: 15, 13, 14. ! Matt. 2S : 20, 



An Illustration of His Methods 



95 



They knew that His sympathies were with them still. 
They knew that they had a representative, an advocate, 
at the throne of God. In the name of Jesus they pre- 
sented their petitions, repeating His promise, "What- 
soever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will 
give it you." 1 

Higher and higher they extended the hand of faith, 
with the mighty argument, "It is Christ that died, yea 
rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand 
of God, who also maketh intercession for us." 2 

Faithful to His promise, the Divine One, exalted in 
the heavenly courts, imparted of His fulness to His 
followers on earth. His enthronement at God's right 
hand was signalized by the outpouring of the Spirit 
upon His disciples. 

By the work of Christ these disciples had been led 
to feel their need of the Spirit; under the Spirit's teach- 
ing they received their final preparation, and went forth 
to their life-work. 

No longer were they ignorant and uncultured. No 
longer were they a collection of independent units or of 
discordant and conflicting elements. No longer were 
their hopes set on worldly greatness. They were of 
"one accord," of "one mind and one soul." Christ 
filled their thoughts. The advancement of His king- 
dom was their aim. In mind and character they had 
become like their Master; and men "took knowledge 
of them, that they had been with Jesus." 3 

Then was there such a revelation of the glory of 
Christ as had never before been witnessed by mortal 
man. Multitudes who had reviled His name and 
despised His power confessed themselves disciples of 
the Crucified. Through the co-operation of the divine 



Faith's 

Assurance 



The Final 
Preparation 



A Work 
That Shook 
the World 



'John 16 : 23. 



2 Rom. 8:34. 



3 Acts 4 : 13. 



96 The Master Teacher 

Spirit the labors of the humble men whom Christ had 
chosen, stirred the world. To every nation under 
heaven was the gospel carried in a single generation. 



The same Spirit that in His stead was sent to be the 

"/ Am unit instructor of His first co-workers, Christ has commis- 

\ou Aiway" s ioned to be the instructor of His co-workers to-day. 

"Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the 

world," 1 is His promise. 

The presence of the same Guide in educational work- 
to-day will produce the same results as of old. This is 
the end to which true education tends; this is the work 
that God designs it to accomplish. 

1 Matt. jS : 20. 



Nature Teaching 



"Consider the wondrous icorks of Him 
who is perfect in knoivledge" 



God in Nature 



"his glory COVERS THE HEAVENS;" 

"and the earth is full ok 
ins riches" 



T TPON all created things is seen the impress of the 

^-J Deity. Nature testifies of God. The susceptible 

mind, brought in contact with the miracle and mystery 

of the universe, can not but recognize the working of Thc 

Pervading 
infinite power. Not by its own inherent energy does ui e 

the earth produce its bounties, and year by year con- 
tinue its motion around the sun. An unseen hand 
guides the planets in their circuit of the heavens. A 
mysterious life pervades all nature, — a life that sustains 
the unnumbered worlds throughout immensity; that 
lives in the insect atom which floats in the summer 
breeze; that wings the flight of the swallow, and feeds 
the young ravens which cry; that brings the bud to 
blossom, and the flower to fruit. 

The same power that upholds nature, is working 
also in man. The same great laws that guide alike the 
star and the atom, control human life. The laws that 
govern the heart's action, regulating the flow of the 
current of life to the body, are the laws of the mighty universality 

..... r it- of Law 

Intelligence that has the jurisdiction of the soul, from 
Him all life proceeds. Only in harmony with Him can 
be found its true sphere of action. For all the objects 
of His creation the condition is the same, — a life sus- 
tained by receiving the life of God, a life exercised 

(99 > 

LofC. 



IOO 



Nature Teaching 



Nature's 

Witness 



The Child's 
Teacher 



Opportunity 

for Nature 

Studv 



in harmony with the Creator's will. To transgress 
His law, physical, mental, or moral, is to place one's 
self out of harmony with the universe, to introduce 
discord, anarchy, ruin. 

To him who learns thus to interpret its teachings, 
all nature becomes illuminated; the world is a lesson- 
book, life a school. The unity of man with nature and 
with God, the universal dominion of law, the results of 
transgression, can not fail of impressing the mind and 
moulding the character. 

These are lessons that our children need to learn. 
To the little child, not yet capable of learning from the 
printed page or of being introduced to the routine of 
the schoolroom, nature presents an unfailing source of 
instruction and delight. The heart not yet hardened by 
contact with evil is quick to recognize the Presence that 
pervades all created things. The ear as yet undulled 
by the world's clamor is attentive to the Voice that 
speaks through nature's utterances. And for those of 
older years, needing continually its silent reminders of 
the spiritual and eternal, nature's teaching will be no 
less a source of pleasure and of instruction. As the 
dwellers in Eden learned from nature's pages, as Moses 
discerned God's handwriting on the Arabian plains and 
mountains, and the Child Jesus on the hillsides of Naz- 
areth, so the children of to-day may learn of Him. The 
unseen is illustrated by the seen. On everything upon 
the earth, from the loftiest tree of the forest to the 
lichen that clings to the rock, from the boundless ocean 
to the tiniest shell on the shore, they may behold the 
image and superscription of God. 

So far as possible, let the child from his earliest 
}'ears be placed where this wonderful lesson-book shall 



God in Nature 



101 



be open before him. Let him behold the glorious 
scenes painted by the great Master Artist upon the 
shifting canvas of the heavens, let him become acquainted 
with the wonders of earth and sea, let him watch the 
unfolding mysteries of the changing seasons, and, in all 
His works, learn of the Creator. 

In no other way can the foundation of a true educa- 
tion be so firmly and surely laid. Yet even the child, 
as he comes in contact with nature, will see cause for 
perplexity. He can not but recognize the working of 
antagonistic forces. It is here that nature needs an 
interpreter. Looking upon the evil manifest even in 
the natural world, all have the same sorrowful lesson 
to learn, — "An enemy hath done this." 1 

Only in the light that shines from Calvary can 
nature's teaching be read aright. Through the story 
of Bethlehem and the cross let it be shown how good 
is to conquer evil, and how every blessing that comes to 
us is a gift of redemption. 

In brier and thorn, in thistle and tare, is represented 
the evil that blights and mars. In singing bird and 
opening blossom, in rain and sunshine, in summer 
breeze and gentle dew, in ten thousand objects in 
nature, from the oak of the forest to the violet that 
blossoms at its root, is seen the love that restores. 
And nature still speaks to us of God's goodness. 

"I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith 
the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil."* This is 
the message that, in the light from the cross, may be 
read upon all the face of nature. The heavens declare 
His glory, and the earth is full of His riches. 

•Matt. 13:2s. 2 Jer. 29:11. 



Antagonistic 
Forces 



The 

Interpreter 
of Nature 



Thoughts 
of Peace 



Lessons of Life 



i \ K in THE EARTH, A ND 
J 1 SHALL TEACH THEE" 



Christ's 

Object 

Teaching 



Ada/>tef1 

to Every 

Hearer 



^1 "HE great Teacher brought His hearers in contact 
-*• with nature, that they might listen to the voice 
which speaks in all created things ; and as their hearts 
became tender and their minds receptive, He helped 
them to interpret the spiritual teaching of the scenes 
upon which their eyes rested. The parables, by means 
of which He loved to teach lessons of truth, show how 
open His spirit was to the influences of nature, and how 
He delighted to gather the spiritual teaching from the 
surroundings of daily life. 

The birds of the air, the lilies of the field, the sower 
and the seed, the shepherd and the sheep, — with these 
Christ illustrated immortal truth. He drew illustrations 
also from the events of life, facts of experience familiar 
to the hearers, — the leaven, the hid treasure, the pearl, 
the fishing net, the lost coin, the prodigal son, the houses 
on the rock and the sand. In His lessons there was 
something to interest every mind, to appeal to ever)- 
heart. Thus the daily task, instead of being a mere 
round of toil, bereft of higher thoughts, was brightened 
and uplifted by constant reminders of the spiritual and 
the unseen. 

So we should teach. Let the children learn to see 
in nature an expression of the love and the wisdom of 



Lessons of Life 



IO' 



God ; let the thought of Him be linked with bird and 
flower and tree; let all things seen become to them the 
interpreters of the unseen, and all the events of life be a 
means of divine teaching. 

As they learn thus to study the lessons in all created 
things, and in all life's experiences, show that the same 
laws which govern the things of nature and the events 
of life are to control us ; that the)' are given for our 
good; and that only in obedience to them can we find 
true happiness and success. 



Unity of Law 



All things both in heaven and in earth declare that 
the great law of life is a law of service. The infinite 
Father ministers to the life of every living thing. Christ 
came to the earth "as he that serveth." ! The angels 
are "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them 
who shall be heirs of salvation." The same law of 
service is written upon all things in nature. The birds 
of the air, the beasts of the field, the trees of the forest, 
the leaves, the grass, and the flowers, the sun in the 
heavens and the stars of light, — all have their ministry. 
Lake and ocean, river and water-spring, — each takes to 
give. 

As each thing in nature ministers thus to the world's 
life, it also secures its own. "Give, and it shall be given 
unto you," 3 is the lesson written no less surely in nature 
than in the pages of Holy Writ. 

As the hillsides and the plains open a channel for the 
mountain stream to reach the sea, that which they give 
is repaid a hundredfold. The stream that goes singing 
on its way leaves behind its gift of beauty and fruitful- 
ness. Through the, fields, bare and brown under the 

1 Luke 22:27. - Heb. 1: 14. 3 Luke 6:3s. 



The Law of 
Ministry- 



Gaining 
by Giving 



104 Nature Teaching 

summer's heat, a line of verdure marks the river's 
course; every noble tree, every bud, every blossom, a 
witness to the recompense God's grace decrees to all' 
who become its channels to the world. 



Of the almost innumerable lessons taught in the 
T.aws nf varied processes of growth, some of the most precious 

Growth . , _ . . 

are conveyed in the Saviour s parable of the growing 
seed. It has lessons for old and young. 

"So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast 
seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night 
and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he 
knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of 
herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full 
corn in the ear." l 

The seed has in itself a germinating principle, a prin- 
ciple that God Himself has implanted; yet if left to itself 
the seed would have no power to spring up. Man has 
his part to act in promoting the growth of the grain; 
but there is a point beyond which he can accomplish 
nothing. He must depend upon One who has connected 
the sowing and the reaping by wonderful links of His 
own omnipotent power. 

There is life in the seed, there is power in the soil; 
but unless infinite power is exercised day and night, the 
seed will yield no return. The showers of rain must 
refresh the thirsty fields; the sun must impart warmth; 
electricity must be conveyed to the buried seed. The 
life which the Creator has implanted, He alone can call 
forth. Every seed grows, every plant develops, by the 
power of God. 

"The seed is the word of God." "As the earth 

1 Mark 4 : 26-28. 



Lessofis of Life 105 

bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the 
things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord 
God will cause righteousness and praise to spring 
forth." 1 As in the natural, so in the spiritual sowing; 
the power that alone can produce life is from God. 
The work of the sower is a work of faith. The 
mystery of the germination and growth of the seed he sowing 

in Faith 

can not understand ; but he has confidence in the agen- 
cies by which God causes vegetation to flourish. He 
casts away the seed, expecting to gather it many-fold in 
an abundant harvest. So parents and teachers are to 
labor, expecting a harvest from the seed they sow. 

For a time the good seed may lie unnoticed in the 
heart, giving no evidence that it has taken root; but 
afterward, as the Spirit of God breathes on the soul, the 
hidden seed springs up, and at last brings forth fruit. 
In our life-work we know not which shall prosper, this 
or that. This question it is not for us to settle. "In 
the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold 
not thine hand."* God's great covenant declares that 
"while the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest . . . God's 

111 11 « t ,1 r 1 r 1 • -i Covenant for 

shall not cease. In the confidence of this promise the thc Harvest 
husbandman tills and sows. Not less confidently are 
we, in the spiritual sowing, to labor, trusting His assur- 
ance: "So shall My word be that goeth forth out of 
My mouth; it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall 
accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in 
the thing whereto I sent it." "He that goeth forth and 
weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come 
again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."* 
The germination of the seed represents the begin- 
ning of spiritual life, and the development of the plant is 
a figure of the development of character. There can be 

1 Luke 8: II ; Isa. 61 : u. 2 Eccl. n :6. 

3 Gen. S : 22. * Isa. 55 : 11 ; Ps. 126 : 6. 



io6 



Nature Teaching 



Conditions 
of Growth 



Fruit-Bearing 



no life without growth. The plant must either grow or 
die. As its growth is silent and imperceptible, but con- 
tinuous, so is the growth of character. At every stage 
of development our life may be perfect ; yet if God's 
purpose for us is fulfilled, there will be constant advance- 
ment. 

The plant grows by receiving that which God has 
provided to sustain its life. So spiritual growth is 
attained through co-operation with divine agencies. 
As the plant takes root in the soil, so we are to take 
root in Christ. As the plant receives the sunshine, the 
dew, and the rain, so are we to receive the Holy Spirit. 
If our hearts are stayed upon Christ, He will come unto 
us "as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the 
earth." As the Sun of Righteousness, He will arise 
upon us "with healing in His wings." We shall "grow 
as the lily." We shall "revive as the corn, and grow 
as the vine." 1 

The wheat develops, "first the blade, then the ear, 
after that the full corn in the ear." 2 The object of the 
husbandman in the sowing of the seed and the culture 
of the plant, is the production of grain, — bread for the 
hungry, and seed for future harvests. So the divine 
Husbandman looks for a harvest. He is seeking to 
reproduce Himself in the hearts and lives of His fol- 
lowers, that through them He may be reproduced in 
other hearts and lives. 



A Lesson in 
Child- 
Training 



The gradual development of the plant from the seed 
is an object-lesson in child-training. There is "first the 
blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear."' 2 
He who gave this parable created the tiny seed, gave 
it its vital properties, and ordained the laws that govern 

»Hosea6:3; Mai. 4:2; Hosed 14:5, 7. -Mark .) : 28. 



Lessons of Life 107 

its growth. And the truths taught by the parable were 
made a reality in His own life. He, the Majesty of 
heaven, the King of glory, became a babe in Bethlehem, 
and for a time represented the helpless infant in its 
mother's care. In childhood He spoke and acted as Natural 

Development 

a child, honoring His parents, and carrying out their 
wishes in helpful ways. But from the first dawning of 
intelligence He was constantly growing in grace and in 
a knowledge of truth. 

• Parents and teachers should aim so to cultivate the 
tendencies of the youth that at each stage of life they 
may represent the beauty appropriate to that period, 
unfolding naturally, as do the plants in the garden. 

The little ones should be educated in childlike sim- 
plicity. They should be trained to be content with the 
small, helpful duties and the pleasures and experiences 
natural to their years. Childhood answers to the blade 
in the parable, and the blade has a beauty peculiarly its simplicity 
own. Children should not be forced into a precocious 
maturity, but as long as possible should retain the fresh- 
ness and grace of their early years. The more quiet 
and simple the life of the child, — the more free from 
artificial excitement and the more in harmony with 
nature, — the more favorable it is to ohysical and mental 
vigor and to spiritual strength. 



In the Saviour's miracle of feeding the five thousand 
is illustrated the working of God's power in the pro- The Miracle 
duction of the harvest. Jesus draws aside the veil from Harvest 
the world of nature, and reveals the creative energy that 
is constantly exercised for our good. In multiplying 
the seed cast into the guound, He who multiplied the 



io8 Nature Teaching 

loaves is working a miracle every day. It is by a 
miracle that He constantly feeds millions from earth's 
harvest-fields. Men are called upon to co-operate with 
Him in the care of the grain and the preparation of the 
loaf, and because of this they lose sight of the divine 
agency. The working of His power is ascribed to 
natural causes or to human instrumentality, and too 
often His gifts are perverted to selfish uses, and made 
a curse instead of a blessing. God is seeking to change 
all this. He desires that our dull senses shall be quick- 
ened to discern His merciful kindness, that His gifts 
may be to us the blessing that He intended. 

It is the word of God, the impartation of His life, 

partakers that gives life to the seed; and of that life, we, in eating 

Life of God the grain, become partakers. This God desires us to 

discern; He desires that even in receiving our daily 

bread we may recognize His agency, and may be 

brought into closer fellowship with Him. 



By the laws of God in nature, effect follows cause 
with unvarying certainty. The reaping testifies to the 
sowing. Here no pretense is tolerated. Men may 
deceive their fellow-men, and may receive praise and 
compensation for service which they have not rendered, 
we Reap j> u t m na ture there can be no deception. On the 

What . r 

We sow unfaithful husbandman the harvest passes sentence of 
condemnation. And in the highest sense this is true 
also in the spiritual realm. It is in appearance, not in 
reality, that evil succeeds. The child who plays truant 
from school, the youth who is slothful in his studies, the 
clerk or apprentice who fails of serving the interests of 
his employer, the man in any business or profession who 



Lessons of Life 



109 



is untrue to his highest responsibilities, may flatter him- 
self that, so long as the wrong is concealed, he is gain- 
ing an advantage. But not so; he is cheating himself. 
The harvest of life is character, and it is this that deter- 
mines destiny, both for this life and for the life to come. 

The harvest is a reproduction of the seed sown. 
Every seed yields fruit "after its kind." So it is with 
the traits of character we cherish. Selfishness, self-love, 
self-esteem, self-indulgence, reproduce themselves, and 
the end is wretchedness and ruin. "He that soweth to 
his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that 
soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life ever- 
lasting." 1 Love, sympathy, and kindness yield fruitage 
of blessing, a harvest that is imperishable. 

In the harvest the seed is multiplied. A single- 
grain of wheat, increased by repeated sowings, would 
cover a whole land with golden sheaves. So wide- 
spread may be the influence of a single life, of even a 
single act. 

What deeds of love the memory of that alabaster 
box broken for Christ's anointing has through the long 
centuries prompted! What countless gifts that contri- 
bution, by a poor unnamed widow, of "two mites, which 
make a farthing,"" has brought to the Saviour's cause! 



Life's 

Harvest, 

Character 



Increase 

from 

Sowing 



Give 



The lesson of seed-sowing teaches liberality. "He 
which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he "Freeiy 
which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." 3 

The Lord says, "Blessed are ye that sow beside 
all waters." 4 To sow beside all waters means to 
give wherever our help is needed. This will not 
tend to poverty. "He which soweth bountifully shall 



1 Gal. 6: 8. 



- Mark 12 : 42. 



3 2 Cor. 9 : 6. 



4 Isa. 32: 20. 



iio Nature Teaching 

reap also bountifully." By casting it away the sower 
multiplies his seed. So by imparting we increase our 
blessings. God's promise assures a sufficiency, that 
we may continue to give. 

More than this: as we impart the blessings of this 
life, gratitude in the recipient prepares the heart to 
receive spiritual truth, and a harvest is produced unto 
life everlasting. 



By the casting of grain into the earth, the Saviour 
Life represents His sacrifice for us. "Except a corn ol 

through 

Death wheat fall into the ground and die," He says, "it 
abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much 
fruit." 1 (Jul)- through the sacrifice of- Christ, the Seed, 
could fruit be brought forth for the kingdom of God. 
In accordance with the law of the vegetable kingdom, 
life is the result of His death. 

So with all who bring forth fruit as workers together 
with Christ: self-love, self-interest, must perish; the life 
must be cast into the furrow of the world's need. But 
the law of self-sacrifice is the law of self-preservation. 
The husbandman preserves his grain by casting it away. 
So the life that will be preserved is the life that is freely 
ijiven in service to God and man. 



The seed dies, to spring forth into new life. In 

.1 symbol this we are taught the lesson of the resurrection. Of 

Resurrection the human body laid away to moulder in the grave, God 

has said: "It is sown in corruption ; it is raised in incor- 

ruption: it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it 

is sown in weakness; it is raised in power." 2 

■John 12: 24. 2 i Cor. 15 :.;2. .13. 



Lessons of Life in 

As parents and teachers try to teach these lessons, 
the work should be made practical. Let the children 
themselves prepare the soil and sow the seed. As they 
work, the parent or teacher can explain the garden of 
the heart, with the good or bad seed sown there, and 
that as the garden must be prepared for the natural Mature study 

& l l Made 

seed, so the heart must be prepared for the seed of Practical 
truth. As the seed is cast into the ground, they can 
teach the lesson of Christ's death; and as the blade 
springs up, the truth of the resurrection. As the plant 
grows, the correspondence between the natural and the 
spiritual sowing may be continued. 

The youth should be instructed in a similar way. 
From the tilling of the soil, lessons may constantly be 
learned. No one settles upon a raw piece of land with 
the expectation that it will at once yield a harvest. 
Diligent, persevering labor must be put forth in the 
preparation of the soil, the sowing of the seed, and the 
culture of the crop. So it must be in the spiritual 
sowing. The garden of the heart must be cultivated. 
The soil must be broken up by repentance. The evil 
growths that choke the good grain must be uprooted. 
As soil once overgrown with thorns can be reclaimed 
only by diligent labor, so the evil tendencies of the 
heart can be overcome only by earnest effort in the 
name and strength of Christ. 



In the cultivation of the soil the thoughtful worker obedience 

.to Law 

will find that treasures little dreamed of are opening 
up before him. No one can succeed in agriculture or 
gardening without attention to the laws involved. The 
special needs of every variety of plant must be studied. 



i i 2 Na t u re Tc a c h i ng 

Different varieties require different soil and cultivation, 
and compliance with the laws governing each is the 
condition of success. The attention required in trans- 
planting, that not even a root-fiber shall be crowded or 
misplaced, the care of the young plants, the pruning 
and watering, the shielding from frost at night and sun 
by day, keeping out weeds, disease, and insect-pests, 
the training and arranging, not only teach important 
Development lessons concerning the development of character, but 
the work itself is a means of development. In culti- 
vating carefulness, patience, attention to detail, obedi- 
ence to law, it imparts a most essential training. The 
constant contact with the mystery of life and the loveli- 
ness of nature, as well as the tenderness called forth in 
ministering to these beautiful objects of God's creation, 
tends to quicken the mind and refine and elevate the 
character; and the lessons taught prepare the worker 
to deal more successfully with other minds. 



Other Object Lessons 



"whoso is wise, and will observe 
these things, even they shall 
understand the loving-kindness 
of the lord" 



f^OD S healing power runs all through nature. If a 
^* tree is cut, if a human being is wounded or breaks 
a bone, nature begins at once to repair the injury. 
Even before the need exists, the healing agencies are 
in readiness; and as soon as a part is wounded, every 
energy is bent to the work of restoration. So it is in 
the spiritual realm. Before sin created the need, God 
had provided the remedy. Every soul that yields to 
temptation is wounded, bruised, by the adversary; but 
wherever there is sin, there is the Saviour. It is Christ's 
work "to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance 
to the captives, . . . to set at liberty them that are 
bruised." 1 

In this work we are to co-operate. "If a man be 
overtaken in a fault, . . . restore such a one."" 
The word here translated "restore" means to put in 
joint, as a dislocated bone. How suggestive the figure! 
He who falls into error or sin is thrown out of relation 
to everything about him. He may realize his error, and 
be filled with remorse; but he can not recover himself. 
He is in confusion and perplexity, worsted and helpless. 
He is to be reclaimed, healed, re-established. "Ye 
which are spiritual, restore such a one." Only the 

8 ILuke 4 : 18. '■'Gal. 6: I. (113) 



The Ministry 
of Healing 



A Suggestive 
Figure 



H4 Nature Teaching 

love that flows from the heart of Christ can heal. 
only Love Only he in whom that love flows, even as the sap in 

Can Restore . . 

the tree or the blood in the body, can restore the 
wounded soul. 

Love's agencies have wonderful power, for they are 
divine. The soft answer that "turneth away wrath," 
the love that "suffereth long, and is kind," the charity 
that "covereth a multitude of sins," 1 — would we learn 
the lesson, with what power for healing would our 
lives be gifted! How life would be transformed, and 
the earth become a very likeness and foretaste of 
heaven ! 

These precious lessons may be so simply taught as 
to be understood, even by little children. The heart of 
the child is tender and easily impressed; and when we 
who are older become "as little children;" 2 when we 
learn the simplicity and gentleness and tender love of 
the Saviour, we shall not find it difficult to touch the 
hearts of the little ones, and teach them love's ministry 
of healing. 

Perfection exists in the least as well as in the 
perfection greatest of the works of God. The hand that hung 

in Little . •1111 e 1 • 1 

Things the worlds in space is the hand that fashions the 
flowers of the field. Examine under the ^microscope 
the smallest and commonest of wayside blossoms, and 
note in all its parts the exquisite beauty and complete- 
ness. So in the humblest lot true excellence may be 
found; the commonest tasks, wrought with loving faith- 
fulness, are beautiful in God's sight. Conscientious 
attention to the little things will make us workers 
together with Him, and win for us His commendation 
who seeth and knoweth all. 

1 Prov. 15 : 1; 1 Cor. 13 : 4, R. V.; 1 Peter 4 : S, R. V. * Matt. 18 : 3. 



Other Object Lessons 115 

The rainbow spanning the heavens with its arch of 
light is a token of "the everlasting covenant between The 

/-> i- • Rainbow 

God and every living creature.' And the rainbow 
encircling the throne on high is also a token to God's 
children of His covenant of peace. 

As the bow in the cloud results from the union of 
sunshine and shower, so the bow above God's throne 
represents the union of His mercy and His justice. To 
the sinful but repentant soul God says, Live thou; "I 
have found a ransom."' 2 

"As I have sworn that the waters of Noah should 
no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I 
would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For 
the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; 
but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither 
shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the 
Lord that hath mercy on thee." 3 



The stars also have a message of good cheer for The stan 
every human being. In those hours that come to all, 
when the heart is faint, and temptation presses sore ; - 
when obstacles seem insurmountable, life's aims impos- 
sible of achievement, its fair promises like apples of 
Sodom, where, then, can such courage and steadfastness 
be found as in that lesson which God has bidden us 
learn from the stars in their untroubled course? 

"Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath 
created these things, that bringeth out their host by 
number; He callcth them all by names by the greatness 
of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one "• Vo < " nc 
faileth. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O 
Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment 

'Gen. 9:16. -Job 33:24. 8 Isa. 54 : 9, 10. 



n6 



Nature Teaching 



"I Will 
Help Thee" 



is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? 
hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, 
the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither 
is weary? there is no searching of His understanding. 
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no 
might He increaseth strength." "Fear thou not; for I 
am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I 
will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will 
uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness." 
"I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying 
unto thee, Fear not; I will 'help thee." 1 



The 
Palm-Tree 



The palm-tree, beaten by the scorching sun and 
the fierce sand-storm, stands green and flourishing and 
fruitful in the midst of the desert. Its roots are fed by 
living springs. Its crown of verdure is seen afar over 
the parched, desolate plain ; and the traveler, ready to 
die, urges his failing steps to the cool shade and the 
life-giving water. 

The tree of the desert is a symbol of what God 
means the life of His children in this world to be. 
They are to guide weary souls, full of unrest, and ready 
to perish in the desert of sin, to the living water. They 
are to point their fellow-men to Him who gives the 
invitation, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, 
and drink." 2 



River and 
Brook 



The wide, deep river, that offers a highway for the 
traffic and travel of nations, is valued as a world-wide 
benefit; but what of the little rills that help to form this 
noble stream? Were it not for them, the river would 
disappear. Upon them its very existence depends. So 

1 lsa. 40 : 26-29 ; 41 : io, 13. * John 7 : 37. 



Other Object Lessons 



117 



men called to lead in some great work are honored as 

if its success were due to them alone ; but that success 

required the faithful co-operation of humbler workers 

almost without number, — workers of whom the world 

knows nothing. Tasks uncommended, labor without unrecognized 

recognition, is the lot of most of the world's toilers. 

And in such a lot many are filled with discontent. 

They feel that life is wasted. But the little rill that 

makes its noiseless way through grove and meadow, 

bearing health and fertility and beauty, is as useful in 

its way as the broad river. And in contributing to the 

river's life, it helps achieve that which alone it could 

never have accomplished. 

The lesson is one needed by many. Talent is too 
much idolized, and station too much coveted. There 
are too many who will do nothing unless they are 
recognized as leaders; too many who must receive 
praise, or they have no interest to labor. What we 
need to learn is faithfulness in making the utmost use 
of the powers and opportunities we have, and content- 
ment in the lot to which Heaven assigns us. 



"Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and 
the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee; . 
and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee." "Go 
to the ant; . . . consider her ways." "Behold the 
birds." "Consider the ravens." 1 

We are not merely to tell the child about these 
creatures of God's. The animals themselves are to be 
his teachers. The ants teach lessons of patient industry, 
of perseverance in surmounting obstacles, of providence 
for the future. And the birds are teachers of the sweet 

JJob 12:7,8; Prov. 6:6; Matt. 6: 26, R. V-; Luke 12 : 24. 



The Little 
Creatures of 
the Earth 



A Lesson 

Of Trust 



118 Nature Teaching 

lesson of trust. Our heavenly Father provides for 

them; but they must gather the food, they must build 

their nests, and rear their young. Every moment they 

are exposed to enemies that seek to destroy them. Yet 

how cheerily they go about their work ! how full of joy 

are their little songs ! 

How beautiful the psalmist's description of God's 

care for the creatures of the woods, — 

"The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; 
And the rocks for the conies." ' 

He sends the springs to run among the hills, where 
the birds have their habitation, and "sing among the 
branches." 1 All the creatures of the woods and hills 
are a part of His great household. He opens His hand, 
and satisfies the desire of every living thing. 1 



The eagle of the Alps is sometimes beaten down by 
The Eagle _ tne tempest into the narrow denies of the mountains. 
Storm-clouds shut in this mighty bird of the forest, 
their dark masses separating her from the sunny heights 
where she has made her home. Her efforts to escape 
seem fruitless. She dashes to and fro, beating the air 
with her strong wings, and waking the mountain echoes 
with her cries. At length, with a note of triumph, she 
darts upward, and, piercing the clouds, is once more in 
the clear sunlight, with the darkness and tempest far 
beneath. So we may be surrounded with difficulties, 
discouragement, and darkness. Falsehood, calamity, 
Above the injustice, shut us in. There are clouds that we can not 

Clouds 

dispel. We battle with circumstances in vain. There 
is one, and but one, way of escape. The mists and fogs 
cling to the earth; beyond the clouds God's light is 

1 Ps. 104 : 18, 12 ; 145 : 16. 



Other Object Lessons 



119 



shining. Into the sunlight of His presence we may 
rise 'on the wings of faith. 



Many are the lessons that may thus be learned. 
Self-reliance, from the tree that, growing alone on plain 
or mountainside, strikes down its roots deep into the 
earth, and in its rugged strength defies the tempest. 
The power of early influence, from the gnarled, shape- 
less trunk, bent as a sapling, to which no earthly power 
can afterward restore its lost symmetry. The secret of 
a holy life, from the water-lily, that, on the bosom of 
some slimy pool, surrounded by weeds and rubbish, 
strikes down its channeled stem to the pure sands 
beneath, and, drawing thence its life, lifts up its fragrant 
blossoms to the light in spotless purity. 



Other 
Illustrations 



Thus while the children and youth gain a knowl- 
edge of facts from teachers and text-books, let them 
learn to draw lessons and discern truth for themselves. 
In their gardening, question them as to what they 
learn from the care of their plants. As they look on a 
beautiful landscape, ask them why God clothed the 
fields and woods with such lovely and varied hues. 
Why was not all colored a somber brown? When 
they gather the flowers, lead them to think why He 
spared us the beauty of these wanderers from Eden. 
Teach them to notice the evidences everywhere mani- 
fest in nature of God's thought for us, the wonderful 
adaptation of all things to our need and happiness. 

He alone who recognizes in nature his Father's 
handiwork, who in the richness and beauty of the earth 



Teach 
Children to 
Observe 



120 



Na t u re Tc a cli i)ig 



K:\ture a 

Key to 

the Bible 



Study 
Similitudes 



reads the Father's handwriting, — he alone learns from 
the things of nature their deepest lessons, and receives 
their highest ministry. Only he can fully appreciate the 
significance of hill and vale, river and sea, who looks 
upon them as an expression of the thought of God, a 
revelation of the Creator. 

Many illustrations from nature are used by the Bible 
writers, and as we observe the things of the natural 
world, we shall be enabled, under the guiding of the 
Holy Spirit, more fully to understand the lessons of 
God's word. It is thus that nature becomes a key 
to the treasure-house of the word. 

Children should be encouraged to search out in 
nature the objects that illustrate Bible teachings, and 
to trace in the Bible the similitudes drawn from nature. 
They should search out, both in nature and in Holy 
Writ, every object representing Christ, and those also 
that He employed in illustrating truth. Thus may they 
learn to see Him in tree and vine, in lily and rose, in 
sun and star. They may learn to hear His voice in 
the song of birds, in the sighing of the trees, in the 
rolling thunder, and in the music of the sea. And 
every object in nature will repeat to them His precious 
lessons. 

To those who thus acquaint themselves with Christ, 
the earth will nevermore be a lonely and desolate place. 
It will be their Father's house, filled with the presence 
of Him who once dwelt among; men. 



The Bible as an 
Educator 



When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when 
thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and -when 
thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. " 



Mental and Spiritual 
Culture 



"by knowledge shall the 
chambers he filled with all 
precious and pleasant riches' 



TpOR the mind and the soul, as well as for the body, 
-*- it is God's law that strength is acquired by effort. 
It is exercise that develops. In harmony with this law, 
God has provided in His word the means for mental 
and spiritual development. 

The Bible contains all the principles that men need 
to understand in order to be fitted either for this life 
or for the life to come. And these principles may be 
understood by all. No one with a spirit to appreciate 
its teaching can read a single passage from the Bible 
without gaining from it some helpful thought. But the 
most valuable teaching of the Bible is not to be gained 
by occasional or disconnected study. Its great system 
of truth is not so presented as to be discerned by the 
hasty or careless reader. Many of its treasures lie far 
beneath the surface, and can be obtained only by dili- 
gent research and continuous effort. The truths that 
go to make up the great whole must be searched out 
and gathered up, "here a little, and there a little." 1 

When thus searched out and brought together, they 
will be found to be perfectly fitted to one another. Each 
Gospel is a supplement to the others, every prophecy an 



Effort 
in Bible 
Study 



A Perfect 
Whole 



1 Isa. 28 1 10. 



(123) 



124 The Bible as an Ediicator 

explanation of another, every truth a development of 
some other truth. The types of the Jewish economy 
are made plain by the gospel. Every principle in the 
word of God has its place, every fact its bearing. And 
the complete structure, in design and execution, bears 
testimony to its Author. Such a structure no mind but 
that of the Infinite could conceive or fashion. 

In searching out the various parts and studying their 
intcih-ctuni relationship, the highest faculties of the human mind are 

Discipline r ° 

called into intense activity. No one can engage in such 
study without developing mental power. 

And not alone in searching out truth and bringing 
it together does the mental value of Bible study con- 
sist. It consists also in the effort required to grasp the 
themes presented. The mind occupied with common- 
place matters only, becomes dwarfed and enfeebled. If 
never tasked to comprehend grand and far-reaching 
truths, it after a time loses the power of growth. As 
a safeguard against this degeneracy, and a stimulus to 
development, nothing else can equal the study of God's 
word. As a means of intellectual training, the Bible is 
more effective than any other book, or all other books 
combined. The greatness of its themes, the dignified 
simplicity of its utterances, the beauty of its imagery, 
quicken and uplift the thoughts as nothing else can. 
No other study can impart such mental power as does 
the effort to grasp the stupendous truths of revelation. 
The mind thus brought in contact with the thoughts 
of the Infinite can not but expand and strengthen. 
And even greater is the power of the Bible in the 
spiritual development of the spiritual nature. Man, created for 

Development t . m t 

fellowship with God, can only in such fellowship find his 
real life and development. Created to find in God his 



Mental and Spiritual Culture 



125 



highest joy, he can find in nothing else that which can 
quiet the cravings of the heart, can satisfy the hunger 
and thirst of the soul. He who with sincere and 
teachable spirit studies God's word, seeking to com- 
prehend its truths, will be brought in touch with its 
Author; and, except by his own choice, there is no 
limit to the possibilities of his development. 

In its wide range of style and subjects, the Bible has 
something to interest every mind and appeal to every 
heart. In its pages are found history the most ancient; 
biography the truest to life; principles of government for 
the control of the state, for the regulation of the house- 
hold, — principles that human wisdom has never equaled. 
It contains philosophy the most profound, poetry the 
sweetest and the most sublime, the most impassioned 
and the most pathetic. Immeasurably superior in value 
to the productions of any human author are the Bible 
writings, even when thus considered ; but of infinitely 
wider scope, of infinitely greater value, are they when 
viewed in their relation to the grand central thought. 
Viewed in the light of this thought, every topic has a 
new significance. In the most simply stated truths are 
involved principles that are as high as heaven and that 
compass eternity. 

The central theme of the Bible, the theme about 
which every other in the whole book clusters, is the 
redemption plan, the restoration in the human soul of 
the image of God. From the first intimation of hope in 
the sentence pronounced in Eden to that last glorious 
promise of the Revelation, "They shall see His face; 
and His name shall be in their foreheads," 1 the burden 
of every book and every passage of the Bible is the 
unfolding of this wondrous theme, — man's uplifting, — 

1 Rev. 22 : 4. 



Range of 

Style 

and Subjects 



The Central 
Theme 



126 



The Bible as an Educator 



.\n Infinite 
Field 



Truths 
Life-Besetting , 



Life~Sustainim 



the power of Gocl, "which giveth us the victory through 
our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 

He who grasps this thought has before him an infi- 
nite field for study. He has the key that will unlock 
to him the whole treasure-house of God's word. 

The science of redemption is the science of all sci- 
ences; the science that is the study of the angels and of 
all the intelligences of the unfallen worlds; the science 
that engages the attention of our Lord and Saviour; 
the science that enters into the purpose brooded in the 
mind of the Infinite, — " kept in silence through times 
eternal;"" the science that will be the study of God's 
redeemed throughout endless ages. This is the highest 
study in which it is possible for man to engage. As 
no other study can, it will quicken the mind and uplift 
the soul. 

"The excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom" 
giveth life to them that have it." "The Avords that I 
speak unto you," said Jesus, "they are spirit, and they 
are life." " This is life eternal, that they should know 
Thee the only true God, and Him whom Thou didst 
send." 3 

The creative energy that called the worlds into 
existence is in the word of God. This word imparts 
power; it begets life. Every command is a promise; 
accepted by the will, received into the soul, it brings 
with it the life of the Infinite One. It transforms the 
nature, and re-creates the soul in the image of God. 

The life thus imparted is in like manner sustained. 
"By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of 
God" 4 shall man live. 

The mind, the soul, is built up by that upon which 
it feeds; and it rests with us to determine upon what it 



1 I Cor. is :$-. 

B Eccl. 7 : 12; John 6 : 6 j 



-Rom. 16:25, R- V. 
V. * Matt. 4:4. 



Mental and Spiritual Culture 



127 



shall be fed. It is within the power of every one to 
choose the topics that shall occupy the thoughts and 
shape the character. Of every human being privileged 
with access to the Scriptures, God says, "I have written 
to him the great things of My law." "Call unto Me, 
and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty 
things, which thou knowest not." 1 

With the word of God in his hands, eveiy human Possibilities 

of Compan- 

being, wherever his lot in life may be cast, may have ionship 
such companionship as he shall choose. In its pages 
he may hold converse with the noblest and best of the 
human race, and may listen to the voice of the Eternal 
as He speaks with men. As he studies and meditates 
upon the themes into which "the angels desire to 
look," 2 he may have their companionship. He may 
follow the steps of the heavenly Teacher, and listen to 
His words as when He taught on mountain and plain 
and sea. He may dwell in this world in the atmosphere 
of heaven, imparting to earth's sorrowing and tempted 
ones thoughts of hope and longings for holiness; himself 
coming closer and still closer into fellowship with the 
Unseen ; like him of old who walked with God, drawing- 
nearer and nearer the threshold of the eternal world, 
until the portals shall open, and he shall enter there. 
He will find himself no stranger. The voices that will 
greet him are the voices of the holy ones, who, unseen, 
were on earth his companions, — voices that here he 
learned to distinguish and to love. He who through 
the word of God has lived in fellowship with heaven, 
will find himself at home in heaven's companionship. 



Not a 

Stranger 



1 Hosea 8 : 12; Jer. 33 : 3. 



2 1 Peter 1 : 12. 



Science and t h e Bible 



'WHO KNOWETH nut IN ALL 
THESE THAT T H fc. HAND OK THE 
LORD HATH WROUGHT?" 



Harmony <>t 
Nature and 

Revelation 



Evolution of 
the Earth 



^INCE the book of nature and the book of revelation 
^ bear the impress of the same master mind, they can 
not but speak in harmony. By different methods, and 
in different languages, they witness to the same great 
truths. Science is ever discovering new wonders ; 
but she brings from her research nothing that, rightly 
understood, conflicts with divine revelation. The book 
of nature and the written word shed light upon each 
other. They make us acquainted with God by teaching 
us something of the laws through which He works. 

Inferences erroneously drawn from facts observed in 
nature have, however, led to supposed conflict between 
science and revelation; and in the effort to restore 
harmony, interpretations of Scripture have been adopted 
that undermine and destroy the force of the word of 
God. Geology has been thought to contradict the 
literal interpretation of the Mosaic record of the crea- 
tion. Millions of years, it is claimed, were required 
for the evolution of the earth from chaos; and in order 
to accommodate the Bible to this supposed revelation 
of science, the days of creation are assumed to have 
been vast, indefinite periods, covering thousands or even 
millions of years. 



Science and the Bible 129 

Such a conclusion is wholly uncalled for. The 
Bible record is in harmony with itself and with the 
teaching of nature. Of the first day employed in the 
work of creation is given the record, "The evening and 
the morningr were the first day." 1 And the same in Bible Record 

& J of the 

substance is said of each of the first six days of creation creation 
week. Each of these periods Inspiration declares to 
have been a day consisting of evening and morning, 
like every other day since that time. In regard to 
the work of creation itself the divine testimony is, "He 
spake, and it was; He commanded, and it stood fast.' ,;i 
With Him who could thus call into existence unnum- 
bered worlds, how long a time would be required for the 
evolution of the earth from chaos? In order to account 
for His works, must we do violence to His word? 

It is true that remains found in the earth testify to 
the existence of men, animals, and plants much larger 
than any now known. These are regarded as proving 
the existence of vegetable and animal life prior to the 
time of the Mosaic record. But concerning these things 
Bible history furnishes ample explanation. Before the 
flood, the development of vegetable and animal life 
was immeasurably superior to that which has since 
been known. At the flood the surface of the earth 
was broken up, marked changes took place, and in changes at 

. ° r the Flood 

the re-formation of the earth's crust were preserved 
many evidences of the life previously existing. The 
vast forests buried in the earth at the time of the flood, 
and since changed to coal, form the extensive coal 
fields, and yield the supplies of oil, that minister to 
our comfort and convenience to-day. These things, 
as they are brought to light, are so many witnesses 
mutely testifying to the truth of the word of God. 

'Gen. 1 : 5. a Ps. 22 : 9. 



130 



The Bible as an Ediicator 



Evolution 
of Man 



The Divine 

Working 

in Nature 



Akin to the theory concerning the evolution of the 
earth, is that which attributes to an ascending line of 
germs, mollusks, and quadrupeds the evolution of man, 
the crowning glory of the creation. 

When consideration is given to man's opportunities 
for research; how brief his life; how limited his sphere 
of action; how restricted his vision; how frequent and 
how great the errors in his conclusions, especially as 
concerns the events thought to antedate Bible history; 
how often the supposed deductions of science are revised 
or cast aside; with what readiness the assumed period 
of the earth's development is from time to time increased 
or diminished by millions of years; and how the theories 
advanced by different scientists conflict with one another, 
— considering all this, shall we, for the privilege of trac- 
ing our descent from germs and mollusks and apes, 
consent to cast away that statement of Holy Writ, so 
grand in its simplicity, "God created man in His own 
image, in the image of God created He him"? 1 Shall 
we reject that genealogical record, — prouder than any 
treasured in the courts of kings, — "which was the son 
of Adam, which was the son of God"? 2 

Rightly understood, both the revelations of science 
and the experiences of life are in harmony with the 
testimony of Scripture to the constant working of God 
in nature. 

In the hymn recorded by Nehemiah, the Levites 
sung, "Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou hast 
made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, 
the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and 
all that is therein, and Thou preservest them all." 3 

As regards this earth, Scripture declares the work 
of creation to have been completed. "The works were 

1 Gen 1:27. -Luke 3:3s. 8 Neh. 9:6. 



Science and the Bible 



131 



finished from the foundation of the world." 1 But the 
power of God is still exercised in upholding the objects 
of His creation. It is not because the mechanism once 
set m motion continues to act by its own inherent energy 
that the pulse beats, and breath follows breath. Every 
breath, every pulsation of the heart, is an evidence of 
the care of Him in whom we live and move and have 
our being. From the smallest insect to man, every 
living creature is daily dependent upon His providence. 

"These wait all upon Thee. . . . 
That Thou givest them they gather; 
Thou openest Thine hand, they are filled with good. ' 
Thou hidest Thy face, they are troubled ; 
Thou takest away their breath, they die, 
And return to their dust. 

Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are created ; 
And Thou renewest the face of the earth." 2 

" He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, 
And hangeth the earth upon nothing. 
He bindeth up the waters in His thick clouds ; 
And the cloud is not rent under them. . . . 
He hath compassed the waters with bounds, 
Until the day and night come to an end." 

" The pillars of heaven tremble 
And are astonished at His rebuke. 
He stilleth the sea with His power. . . . 
By His Spirit the heavens are beauty ; 
His hand hath pierced the gliding serpent. 
Lo, these are but the outskirts of His ways ; 
And how small a whisper do we hear of Him ! 
But the thunder of His power who can understand ? " 3 

" The Lord hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, 
And the clouds arc the dust of His feet." 4 

The mighty power that works through all nature 
and sustains all things is not, as some men of science 
claim, merely an all-pervading principle, an actuating 

1 Heb. 4:3. '-! Ps. 104 : 17-30. 

3 Job 26 : 7-10; 26 : 11-14, R. V., margin. <Nahuni 1 .3. 



The 

All-Embracing 
Providence 



■Who Can 
Understand?' 



A Personal 
God 



132 The Bible as an Educator 

energy. God is a spirit; yet He is a personal being, 
for man was made in His image. As a personal being, 
God has revealed Himself in His Son. Jesus, the out- 
shining of the Father's glory, "and the express image 
of His person," 1 was on earth found in fashion as a 
man. As a personal Saviour, He came to the world. 
As a personal Saviour, He ascended on high. As a 
personal Saviour, He intercedes in the heavenly courts. 
Before the throne of God in our behalf ministers "One 
like the Son of man." 2 

The apostle Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, 
declares of Christ that "all things have been created 
through Him, and unto Him; and He is before all 
things, and in Him all things hold together." 2 The 
hand that sustains the worlds in space, the hand that 
holds in their orderly arrangement and tireless activity 
all things throughout the universe of God, is the hand 
that was nailed to the cross for us. 

The greatness of God is to us incomprehensible. 

"The Lord's throne is in heaven;" 4 yet by His Spirit 

omnipresence; pr e j s everywhere present. He has an intimate knowl- 

Omniscicnce 

edge of, and a personal interest in, all the works of 
His hand. 

"Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high. 
Who humbleth Himself to behold the things that are in 
heaven, and in the earth ! " 

" Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? 
Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? 
If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there ; 
If I make my bed in the grave, 5 behold, Thou art there. 

" If I take the wings of the morning, 
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 
Even there shall Thy hand lead me, 
And Thy right hand shall hold me." 6 

'Heb. 1:3. 2 Dan. 7:13. 3 Col. 1 : 16, 17, R. V., margin. 4 Ps. 11:4. 

6 See Ps. 1$) : 8, R. V.; Job 26 :6, R. V., margin. ° Ps. 113 : 5, 6; 139: 7-19. 



Science and the Bible 



133 



"Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, 
Thou understandest my thought afar off. 
Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, 
And art acquainted with all my ways. . . . 
Thou hast beset me behind and before, 
And laid Thine hand upon me. 
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me ; 
It is high, I can not attain unto it." ' 



It was the Maker of all things who ordained the 
wonderful adaptation of means to end, of supply to 
need. It was He who in the material world provided 
that every desire implanted should be met. It was 
He who created the human soul, with its capacity for 
knowing and for loving. And He is not in Himself 
such as to leave the demands of the soul unsatisfied. 
No intangible principle, no impersonal essence or mere 
abstraction, can satisfy the needs and longings of human 
beings in this life of struggle with sin and sorrow and 
pain. It is not enough to believe in law and force, in 
things that have no pity, and never hear the cry for 
help. We need to know of an almighty arm that will 
hold us up, of an infinite Friend that pities us. We 
need to clasp a hand that is warm, to trust in a heart 
full of tenderness. And even so God has in His word 
revealed Himself. 

He who studies most deeply into the mysteries of 
nature will realize most fully his own ignorance and 
weakness. He will realize that there are depths and 
heights which he can not reach, secrets which he can 
not penetrate, vast fields of truth lying before him 
unentered. He will be ready to say, with Newton, "I 
seem to myself to have been like a child on the sea- 
shore finding pebbles and shells, while the great ocean 
of truth lay undiscovered before me." 

>Ps. 139:2-6, R. V. 



'A Father 
tititn You ' 



Mysteries 
in Nature 



134 The Bible as an Educator 

The deepest students of science are constrained to 
recognize in nature the working of infinite power. But 
to man's unaided reason, nature's teaching can not but 
be contradictory and disappointing. Only in the light 
of revelation can it be read aright. "Through faith we 
understand." 1 

"In the beginning God."* Here alone can the mind 
in its eager questioning, fleeing as the dove to the 
ark, find rest. Above, beneath, beyond, abides Infinite 
Love, working out all things to accomplish "the good 
pleasure of His goodness."" 

"The invisible things of Him since the creation of 
the world are . . .-. perceived through the things that 
are made, even His everlasting power and divinity." 4 
But their testimony can be understood only through 
the aid of the divine Teacher. "What man knoweth 
the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in 
him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but 
•the Spirit of God." 5 

"When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will 
guide you into all truth." 6 Only by the aid of that 
Spirit who in the beginning "was brooding upon the 
face of the waters;" of that Word by whom "all things 
were made;" of that "true Light, which lighteth every 
man that cometh into the world," can the testimony of 
science be rightly interpreted. Only by their guidance 
can its deepest truths be discerned. 

Only under the direction of the Omniscient One 
shall we, in the study of His works, be enabled to 
think His thoughts after Him. 

1 Heb. n : 3. 2 Gen. 1:1. :i 2 Thess. 1 : 11. 

4 Rom. 1:20, R. V. "1 Cor. 2:11. °Jolin 16:13. 



Btismess Principles and 
Methods 



"he that walketh uprightly 

walketh surely" 



Business 
Man's 



r I ^HERE is no branch of legitimate business for 
■*■ which the Bible does not afford an essential 
preparation. Its principles of diligence, honesty, thrift, 
temperance, and purity are the secret of true success. 
These principles, as set forth in the book of Proverbs, 
constitute a treasury of practical wisdom. Where can Manual 
the merchant, the artisan, the director of men in any 
department of business, find better maxims for himself 
or for his employees than are found in these words 
of the wise man : — 

"Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he 
shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before 
mean men." 1 

"In all labor there is profit; but the talk of the lips 
tendeth only to penury." 1 

'The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath noth- 
ing." "The drunkard and the glutton shall come to Every- Day 
poverty; and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags."" 

"A talebearer revealeth secrets; therefore meddle not 
with him that fiattereth with his lips." 3 

"He that hath knowledge spareth his words;" but 
" every fool will be meddling." 4 

1 Prov. 22:29; 14 : 23. -Prov. 13:4; 23:21. 

3 Prov. 20:19. ■'Prov. 17:27; 20:3. (135, 



Maxims 



136 



The Bible as an Educator 



"Go not in the way of evil men;" "can one go 
upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?" 1 

"He that walketh with wise men shall be wise.'" 

"A man that hath friends must show himself 
friendly. ' ' a 

The whole circle of our obligation to one another 
is covered by that word of Christ's, "Whatsoever ye 
would that men should do to you, do ye even so to 
them." 3 



How many a man might have escaped financial 
failure and ruin by heeding the warnings, so often 
repeated and emphasized in the Scriptures: — 

" He that maketh haste to be rich shall not be 
innocent." 4 

"Wealth gotten in haste shall be diminished; but 
he that gathereth by labor shall have increase.'" 

"The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a 
. vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death." 

"The borrower is servant to the lender." 6 

" He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for 
it; and he that hateth suretyship is sure." 6 

"Remove not the old landmark; and enter not 
into the fields of the fatherless; for their Redeemer is 
mighty; He shall plead their cause with thee." "He 
that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he 
that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want." 
"Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein; and he that 
rolleth a stone, it will return upon him." 7 

These are principles with which are bound up the 
Basis of well-being of society, of both secular and religious 

Confidence . . 

associations. It is these principles that give security 
to property and life. For all that makes confidence 

'Prov. 4:14: 6:28. 2 Prov. 13:20; 18 : 24. ^Matt. 7 : 12. 4 Prov.2S:20. 

fl 1'rov. 13:11, R. V., margin. *Prov. 21:6; 22:7; 11:15. 

7 Prov. 23:10,11; 22:16; 26:27. 



Best 
Capital 



Business Principles and Method's 137 

and co-operation possible, the world is indebted to the 
law of God, as given in His word, and as still traced, 
in lines often obscure and well-nigh obliterated, in the 
hearts of men. 

The psalmist's words, " The law of Thy mouth is 
better unto me than thousands of gold and silver," 1 
state that which is true from other than a religious 
point of view. They state an absolute truth, and one 
that is recognized in the business world. Even in this 
age of passion for money-getting, when competition is 
so sharp, and methods are so unscrupulous, it is still 
widely acknowledged that, for a young man starting 
in life, integrity, diligence, temperance, purity, and thrift 
constitute a better capital than any amount of mere 
money. 

Yet even of those who appreciate the value of these 
qualities and acknowledge the Bible as their source, 
there are but few who recognize the principle upon 
which they depend. 

That which lies at the foundation of business integ- 
rity and of true success is the recognition of God's 
ownership. The Creator of all things, He is the origi- stewardship 
nal proprietor. We are His stewards. All that we 
have is a trust from Him, to be used according to His 
direction. 

This is an obligation that rests upon every human 
being. It has to do with the whole sphere of human 
activity. Whether we recognize it or not, we are 
stewards, supplied from God with talents and facilities, 
and placed in the world to do a work appointed by 
Him. 

! Ps. 119:72. 



1 38 



The Bible as cm J\du eator 



"Be Not 

Anxious 



To every man is given "his work," 1 — the work for 
which his capabilities adapt him, — the work which will 
result in greatest good to himself and to his fellow-men, 
and in greatest honor to God. 

Thus our business or calling is a part of God's great 
plan, and, so long as it is conducted in accordance 
with His will, He Himself is responsible for the results. 
" Laborers together with God,"" our part is faithful com- 
pliance with His directions. Thus there is no place for 
anxious care. Diligence, fidelity, care-taking, thrift, and 
discretion are called for. Every faculty is to be exer- 
cised to its highest capacity. But the dependence will 
be, not on the successful outcome of our efforts, but 
on the promise of God. The word that fed Israel in the 
desert, and sustained Elijah through the time of famine, 
has the same power to-day. "Be not anxious, 3 saying, 
What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? . . 
Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteous- 
ness; and all these things shall be added unto you." 4 



He who gives men power to get wealth has with the 
gift bound up an obligation. Of all that we acquire He 
claims a specified portion. The tithe is the Lord's. 
"All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the 
land or of the fruit of the tree," "the tithe of the herd 
or of the flock, . . . shall be holy unto the Lord."" 
The pledge made by Jacob at Bethel shows the extent 
of the obligation. "Of all that Thou shalt give me," 
he said, "I will surely give the tenth unto Thee." 1 ' 

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse," 7 is 
God's command. No appeal is made to gratitude or to 
generosity. This is a matter of simple honesty. The 



'Mark 13:34- 2 i Cor. 3:9. 8 R. V. 

1 Lev. 27 : 30, 32. ' Gen. 28 : 22. 



* Matt. 6 131-33. 
Mai. 3 : 10. 



Business Principles and Methods 



139 



tithe is the Lord's; and He bids us return to Him that 
which is His own. 

"It is required in stewards, that a man be found 
faithful." 1 If honesty is an essential principle of busi- 
ness life, must we not recognize our obligation to 
God, — the obligation that underlies every other? 



By the terms of our stewardship we are placed under 
obligation, not only to God, but to man. To the infinite 
love of the Redeemer every human being is indebted for 
the gifts of life. Food and raiment and shelter, body 
and mind and soul, — all are the purchase of His blood. 
And by the obligation of gratitude and service thus 
imposed, Christ has bound us to our fellow-men. He 
bids us, "By love serve one another." 11 "Inasmuch 
as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My 
brethren, ye have done it unto Me." 3 

"I am debtor," Paul declares, "both to the Greeks 
and to the barbarians*; both to the wise and to the 
unwise."* So also are we. By all that has blessed 
our life above others, we are placed under obligation 
to every human being whom we might benefit. 

These truths are not for the closet more than for 
the counting-room. The goods that we handle are not 
our own, and never can this fact safely be lost sight of. 
We are but stewards, and on the discharge of our obli- 
gation to God and man depend both the welfare of our 
fellow-beings and our own destiny for this life and for 
the life to come. 



"There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and 
there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it 

1 1 Cor. 4:2. 2 Gal. 5:13. 8 Matt. 25:40. * Rom. 1 : 14. 



'7 Am 
Debtor' 



140 



The Bible as an Educator 



Profit 
and Loss 



tendeth to poverty." "Cast thy bread upon the waters; 
for thou shalt find it after many days." "The liberal 
soul shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be 
watered also himself." 1 

"Labor not to be rich. . . . Wilt thou set thine 
eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make 
themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward 
heaven." 2 

"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good meas- 
ure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running 
over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the 
same measure that ye meet withal it shall be measured 
to you again." 3 



The 

Beat-Paying 

Investment 



"Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the 
first-fruits of all thine increase; so shall thy barns be 
filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with 
new wine." 4 

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that 
there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now 
herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you 
the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, 
that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And 
I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall 
not destroy the fruits of your ground ; neither shall 
your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field. 
And all nations shall call you blessed; for ye 
shall be a delightsome land." 5 

"If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My command- 
ments, and do them; then I will give you rain in due 
season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the 
trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your 
threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage 

;! Luke 6:38. 



1 Prov. r 1 : 2 j, 25; Eccl. n : 1. 

4 Prov. 3 : 9, 10. 



-'Prov. 23 : 4, 5. 
■"' Mai. 3 : 10-12. 



Business Principles and Methods 141 

shall reach unto the sowing-time; and ye shall eat your 
bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. And 
I will give peace in the land, . . . and none shall 
make you afraid." 1 

"Seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the 
fatherless, plead for the widow." "Blessed is he that 
considereth the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time 
of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him 
alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth; and 
Thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies." 
"He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the 
Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him 
again." 2 

He who makes this investment lays up double treas- 
ure. Besides that which, however wisely improved, he 
must leave at last, he is amassing wealth for eternity, 
— that treasure of character which is the most valuable 
possession of earth or heaven. 



Security 

for Deposit 



"The Lord knoweth the days of the upright; and 
their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be Insurance 
ashamed in the evil time; and in the days of famine 
they shall be satisfied." 3 

" He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteous- 
ness, and speaketh the truth in his heart; ... he 
that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not;" "he 
that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his 
hands from holding of bribes, . . . and shutteth his 
eyes from seeing evil; he shall dwell on high; 
bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. 
Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty; they shall 
behold the land that is very far off."* 

•Lev. 26:3-6. z Isa. 1:17, Ps 41:1,2; Prov. 19:17. 

3 Ps. 3? : 18, 19. < Ps. 15 : 2-4 ; Isa. 33 : 15-17. 



I-)2 



The Bible as an Educator 



A Successful 
Career 



Its Cro \vn 
of Honor 



God has given in His word a picture of a prosperous 
man, — one whose life was in the truest sense a success, 
a man whom both heaven and earth delighted to honor. 
Of his experiences Job himself says : — 

"In the ripeness of my days, 

When the secret of God was upon my tent; 

When the Almighty was yet with me, 

And my children were about me; . . . 

When I went forth to the gate unto the city. 

When I prepared my seat in the broad place, 1 

The young men saw me and hid themselves, 

And the aged rose up and stood ; 

The princes refrained talking, 

And laid their hand on their mouth ; 

The voice of -the nobles was hushed. . . . 
"For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me ; 

And when the eye saw me, it gave witness unto me ; 

Because I delivered the poor that cried, 

The fatherless also, and him l that had none to help him. 

"The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon 
me; 

And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. 

I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; 

My justice was as a robe and a diadem. 

I was eyes to the blind, 

And feet was I to the lame. 

I was a father to the needy; 

And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out." 
"The stranger did not lodge in the street; 

But I opened my doors to the traveler." 

"Unto me men gave ear, and waited. . . . 
And the light of my countenance they cast not down. 
I chose out their way, and sat chief, 
And dwelt as a king in the army, 
As one that comforteth tlic mourners." 3 

"The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He 
addeth no sorrow with it." 3 

"Riches and honor are with Me," declares Wisdom; 
"yea, durable riches and righteousness." 4 

1 Margin. 2 Job 29 : 4-16, R. V. ; 31 : 32; 29 : 21-25. 

3 Prov. 10 : 22. 4 Prov. 8 : 18. 



.\ Fruitless 
Venture 



Business Principles and Methods 143 

The Bible shows also the result of a departure from 
right principles in our dealing both with God and with 
one another. To those who are entrusted with His 
gifts but indifferent to His claims, God says: — 

"Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and 
bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye 
drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, 
but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages 
earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. 
Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and 
when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it." "When 
one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but 
ten ; when one came to the press-fat for to draw out 
fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty." 
"Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of Mine 
house that is waste." "Will a man rob God? Yet 
ye have lobbed Me. But ye say, Wherein have we 
robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings." "Therefore 
the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth 
is stayed from her fruit." 1 

"Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the 
poor, ... ye have built houses of hewn stone, but Gains That 

.... Impoverish 

ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant 
vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them." "The 
Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and re- 
buke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto." "Thy 
sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another, 
. . . and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing 
for them all the day long; and there shall be no might 
in thine hand."* 

"He that getteth riches, and not by right, shall 
leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end 
shall be a fool." 3 

1 Haggai 1 : 5-9 ; 2 : 16 ; 1 : 10 ; Mai. 3 : S. 2 Amos 5:11; Deut. 28 : 20, 32. 

3 Jer. 17:11. 



i44 



The Bible as an Educator 



The accounts of every business, the details of every 
transaction, pass the scrutiny of unseen auditors, agents 
of Him who never compromises with injustice, never 
overlooks evil, never palliates wrong. 

"If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and 
The Audit violent perverting of judgment and justice, 

marvel not at the matter; for He that is higher than 
the highest regardeth." "There is no darkness, nor 
shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may 
hide themselves." 1 

"They set their mouth against the heavens, and 
say, How doth God know? and is there 
knowledge in the Most High?" "These things hast 
thou done," God says, "and I kept silence; thou 
thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thyself; 
but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before 
thine eyes."* 



"I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, 

and behold a flying roll. . . . This is the curse 

a witness t i ia t rroeth forth over the face of the whole earth; for 

Never 

silenced every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side 
according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be 
cut off as on that side according to it. I will bring it 
forth, saith the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into 
the house of the thief, and into the house of him that 
sweareth falsely by My name; and it shall remain in 
the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the 
timber thereof and the stones thereof." 3 

Against every evil-doer God's law utters condem- 
nation. He may disregard that voice, he may seek to 
drown its warning, but in vain. It follows him. It 
makes itself heard. It destroys his peace. If unheeded, 

1 Eccl. 5 : 8 ; Job 34 : 22. 2 Ps. 73 : 9-11 ; 50: 21. a Zech. 5:1-4. 



Business Principles and Methods 145 

it pursues him to the grave. It bears witness against 
him at the judgment. A quenchless fire, it consumes 
at last soul and body. 



"What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the 
whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a 
man give in exchange for his soul?" 1 



This is a question that demands consideration by 
every parent, every teacher, every student, — by every The Question 

J l J J ' m J of Questions 

human being, young or old. No scheme of business 
or plan of life can be sound or complete that embraces 
only the brief years of this present life, and makes no 
provision for the unending future. Let the youth be 
taught to take eternity into their reckoning. Let them 
be taught to choose the principles and seek the posses- 
sions that are enduring, — to lay up for themselves that 
"treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no 
thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth;" to make 
to themselves friends "by means of the mammon of 
unrighteousness," that when it shall fail, these may 
receive them "into the eternal tabernacles." 2 

All who do this are making the best possible prepa- 
ration for life in this world. No man can lay up 
treasure in heaven without finding his life on earth 
thereby enriched and ennobled. 

"Godliness is profitable unto all things, having 
promise of the life that now is, and of that which is 
to come." 3 

1 Mark S : 36, 37. a Luke 12 : 33 ; 16: 9, R. V. 3 1 Tim. 4 : S. 



B i b le B iogr ap h i e s 



"who through faith si 
kingdoms, wrought righteousness, 
from weakness were maui 



AS an educator no part of the Bible is of greater 

■**■ value than are its biographies. These biographies 

differ from all others in that they are absolutely true 

to life. It is impossible for any finite mind to interpret 

a Faithful rightly, in all things, the workings of another. None 

Delineation ... . 

but He who reads the heart, who discerns the secret 
springs of motive and action, can with absolute truth 
delineate character, or give a faithful picture of a human 
life. In God's word alone is found such delineation. 

No truth does the Bible more clearly teach than that 
what we do is the result of what we are. To a great 
degree the experiences of life are the fruition of our own 
thoughts and deeds. 

"The curse causeless shall not come." 1 

"Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with 
Retribution him; . . . unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him ; 
for the reward of his hands shall be given him." 

"Hear, O earth; behold, I will bring evil upon this 
people, even the fruit of their thoughts." 3 

Terrible is this truth, and deeply should it be im- 
pressed. Every deed reacts upon the doer. Never a 
human being but may recognize, in the evils that curse 
his life, fruitage of his own sowing. Yet even thus we 
are not without hope. 

(146) 'Prov. 26:2. 2 Isa. 3: in, 11. 8 Jer. 6:19. 



Bible Biographies 147 

To gain the birthright that was his already by God's 
promise, Jacob resorted to fraud, and he reaped the 
harvest in his brother's hatred. Through twenty years 
of exile he was himself wronged and defrauded, and was Experience 
at last forced to find safety in flight; and he reaped a , 

second harvest, as the evils of his own character were 
seen to crop out in his sons ; — all but too true a picture 
of the retributions of human life. 

But God says: "I will not contend forever, neither 
will I be always wroth; for the spirit should fail before 
Me, and the souls which I have made. For the iniquity 
of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him ; I hid 
Me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the 
way of his heart. I have seen his ways, and will heal 
him; I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto 
him and to his mourners. . . . Peace, peace to 
him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the 
Lord; and I will heal him." 1 

Jacob in his distress was not overwhelmed. He had 
repented, he had endeavored to atone for the wrong to 
his brother. And when threatened with death through 
the wrath of Esau, he sought help from God. "Yea, 
he had power over the Angel, and prevailed; he wept, Gain 

1 i 1- • i> aittii t 1 • 1 mo through 

and made supplication. "And He blessed him there. 2 Loss 
In the power of His might the forgiven one stood up, no 
longer the supplanter, but a prince with God. He had 
gained not merely deliverance from his outraged brother, 
but deliverance from himself. The power of evil in his 
own nature was broken; his character was transformed. 
At eventide there was light. Jacob, reviewing his 
life-history, recognized the sustaining power of God, — 
"the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, 
the Angel which redeemed me from all evil." 3 

*Isa. 57:16-19. 2 Hoseai2:4; Gen. 32 : 29. 3 Gen 4S : 15, l6. 



14S The Bible as an Educator 

The same experience is repeated in the history of 
Jacob's sons, — sin working retribution, and repentance ■ 
bearing fruit of righteousness unto life. 

God docs not annul His laws. He docs not work 
contrary to them. The work of sin He does not undo. 
But He transforms. Through His grace the curse 
works out blessing. 



Of the sons of Jacob, Levi was one of the most 
The Lerites cruel and vindictive, one of the two most guilty in the 
treacherous murder of the Shechemites. Levi's charac- 
teristics, reflected in his descendants, incurred for them 
the decree from God, "I will divide them in Jacob, and 
scatter them in Israel." 1 But repentance wrought ref- 
ormation ; and by their faithfulness to God amidst the 
apostasy of the other tribes, the curse was transformed 
* into a token of highest honor. 

"The Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the 

ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the 

Lord to minister unto Him, and to bless in His name." 

"My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I 

a curse gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared Me, 

Transformed . 

and was afraid before My name. . . . He walked 
with Me in peace and equity, and did turn many away 
from iniquity." 2 

The appointed ministers of the sanctuary, the 
Levites received no landed inheritance; they dwelt 
together in cities set apart for their use, and received 
their support from the tithes and the gifts and offerings 
devoted to God's service. They were the teachers of 
the people, guests at all their festivities, and every- 
where honored as servants and representatives of God. 

'Gen. 49:7. 2 D«Ut 10:8; Mai. 2:5, 6. 



Bible Biographies 



149 



To the whole nation was given the command: "Take 
heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as 
long as thou livest upon the earth." "Levi hath no 
part nor inheritance with his brethren; the Lord is his 
inheritance." 1 



The truth that as a man "thinketh in his heart, so 
is he,"" finds another illustration in Israel's experience. 
On the borders of Canaan the spies, returned from 
searching the country, made their report. The beauty 
and fruitfulness of the land were lost sight of, through 
fear of the difficulties in the way of its occupation. 
The cities walled up to heaven, the giant warriors, the 
iron chariots, daunted their faith. Leaving God out of 
the question, the multitude echoed the decision of the 
unbelieving spies, "We be not able to go up against 
the people; for they are stronger than we." 3 Their 
words proved true. They were not able to go up, and 
they wore out their lives in the desert. 

Two, however, of the twelve who had viewed the 
land, reasoned otherwise. "We are well able to over- 
come it," 3 they urged, counting God's promise superior 
to giants, walled cities, or chariots of iron. For them 
their word was true. Though they shared with their 
brethren the forty years' wandering, Caleb and Joshua 
entered the land of promise. As courageous of heart 
as when with the hosts of the Lord he set out from 
Egypt, Caleb asked for and received as his portion the 
stronghold of the giants. In God's strength he drove 
out the Canaanites. The vineyards and olive-groves 
where his feet had trodden became his possession. 
Though the cowards and rebels perished in the wilder- 
ness, the men of faith ate of the grapes of Eschol. 

'Deut. 12:19; 10 :g. 2 Prov. 23:7. 8 Num. 13:31,30. 



Report of 
the Spies 



By Faith 
to Conquest 



One Evil 
Cherished 



150 The Bible as an Educator 

No truth docs the Bible set forth in clearer light 
than the peril of even one departure from the right, 
— peril both to the wrong-doer and to all whom his 
influence shall reach. Example has wonderful power; 
and when cast on the side of the evil tendencies of our 
nature, it becomes well-nigh irresistible. 

The strongest bulwark of vice in our world is not 
the iniquitous life of the abandoned sinner or the de- 
graded outcast; it is that life which otherwise appears 
virtuous, honorable, and noble, but in which one sin is 
fostered, one vice indulged. To the soul that is strug- 
gling in secret against some giant temptation, trembling 
upon the very verge of the precipice, such an example 
is one of the most powerful enticements to sin. He 
who, endowed with high conceptions of life and truth 
and honor, does yet wilfully transgress one precept of 
God's holy law, has perverted his noble gifts into a 
lure to sin. Genius, talent, sympathy, even generous 
Decoys of anc i kindly deeds, may thus become decoys of Satan to 

the Tempter . J J J 

entice souls over the precipice of ruin. 

This is why God has given so many examples 
showing the results of even one wrong act. From 
the sad story of that one sin which "brought death 
into the world, and all our woe, with loss of Eden," to 
the record of him who for thirty pieces of silver sold 
the Lord of glory, Bible biography abounds in these 
examples, set up as beacons of warning at the byways 
leading from the path of life. 



There is warning also in noting the results that have 
followed upon even once yielding to human weakness 
and error, the fruit of the letting go of faith. 



Bible Biographies 



151 



By one failure of his faith, Elijah cut short his life 
work. Heavy was the burden that he had borne in 
behalf of Israel; faithful had been his warnings against 
the national idolatry; and deep was his solicitude as 
during three years and a half of famine he watched 
and waited for some token of repentance. Alone he 
stood for God upon Mount Carmel. Through the 
power of faith, idolatry was cast clown, and the blessed 
rain testified to the showers of blessing waiting to be 
poured upon Israel. Then in his weariness and weak- 
ness he fled before the threats of Jezebel, and alone, in 
the desert prayed that he might die. His faith had 
failed. The work he had begun, he was not to com- 
plete. God bade him anoint another to be prophet in 
his stead. 

But God had marked the heart-service of His serv- 
ant. Elijah was not to perish in discouragement and 
solitude in the wilderness. Not for him the descent 
to the tomb, but the ascent with God's angels to the 
presence of His glory. 

These life-records declare what every human being 
will one day understand, — that sin can bring only shame 
and loss; that unbelief means failure; but that God's 
mercy reaches to the deepest depths; that faith lifts up 
the repenting soul to share the adoption of the sons 
of God. 



One Failure 
<>f Faith 



Loss 

to Elijah 



All who in this world render true service to God Discipline 
or man receive a preparatory training in the school of 
sorrow. The weightier the trust and the higher the 
service, the closer is the test and the more severe the 
discipline. 

Study the experiences of Joseph and of Moses, of 



152 



The Bible as an Educator 



In Training 
for the 
Throne 



Solomon 



Daniel and of David. Compare the early history of 
David with the history of Solomon, and consider the 
results. 

David in his youth was intimately associated with 
Saul, and his stay at court and his connection with the 
king's household gave him an insight into the cares and 
sorrows and perplexities concealed by the glitter and 
pomp of royalty. He saw of how little worth is human 
glory to bring peace to the soul. And it was with relief 
and gladness that he returned from the king's court to 
the sheepfolds and the flocks. 

When by the jealousy of Saul driven a fugitive into 
the wilderness, David, cut off from human support, 
leaned more heavily upon God. The uncertainty and 
unrest of the wilderness life, its unceasing peril, its 
necessity for frequent flight, the character of the men 
who gathered to him there, — "every one that was in 
distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one 
• that was discontented," 1 — all rendered the more essen- 
tial a stern self-discipline. These experiences aroused 
and developed power to deal with men, sympathy for 
the oppressed, and hatred of injustice. Through years 
of waiting and peril, David learned to find in God his 
comfort, his support, his life. He learned that only 
by God's power could he come to the throne; only in 
His wisdom could he rule wisely. It was through the 
training in the school of hardship and sorrow that 
David was able to make the record — though afterward 
marred with his great sin — that he "executed judgment 
and justice unto all his people." 2 

The discipline of David's earl)- experience was lack- 
ing in that of Solomon. In circumstances, in character, 
and in life, he seemed favored above all others. Noble 



1 i Sam. 22 : i. 



2 2 Sam. 8 : 15. 



Bible Biographies 153 

in youth, noble in manhood, the beloved of his God, 
Solomon entered on a reign that gave high promise of 
prosperity and honor. Nations marveled at the knowl- 
edge and insight of the man to whom God had given 
wisdom. But the pride of prosperity brought separa- 
tion from God. From the joy of divine communion 
Solomon turned to find satisfaction in the pleasures of 
sense. Of this experience he says: — 

"I made me great works; I builded me houses; I rhc Fr,de 

° of Prosperity 

planted me vineyards; I made me gardens and orchards; 
I got me servants and maidens; ... I 
gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treas- 
ure of kings and of the provinces. I gat me men-singers 
and women-singers; and the delights of the sons of 
men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I 
was great, and increased more than all that were before 
me in Jerusalem. . . . And whatsoever mine eyes 
desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart 
from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labor. 
Then I looked on all the works that my hands 
had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to 
do; and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, 
and there was no profit under the sun. And I turned 
myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly; for 
what can the man do that cometh after the king? 
even that which hath been already done." 

"I hated life. . . . Yea, I hated all my labor unsatisSid 
which I had taken under the sun." 1 

By his own bitter experience, Solomon learned the 
emptiness of a life that seeks in earthly things its highest 
good. He erected altars to heathen gods, only to learn 
how vain is their promise of rest to the soul. 

In his later years, turning wearied and thirsting from 
'Eccl. 2:4-12, 17. 18. 



154 



The Bible as an Educator 



The Late 
Return 



earth's broken cisterns, Solomon returned to drink at 
the fountain of life. The history of his wasted years, 
with their lessons of warning, he by the Spirit of inspira- 
tion recorded for after-generations. And thus, although 
the seed of his sowing was reaped by his people in 
harvests of evil, the life-work of Solomon was not 
wholly lost. For him at last the discipline of suffering 
accomplished its work. 

But with such a dawning, how glorious might have 
been his life's day, had Solomon in his youth learned 
the lesson that suffering had tauo-ht in other lives! 



God's 

Witnesses 



Accusation 
iron i Satan 



For those who love God, those who are "the called 
according to his purpose,"' Bible biography has a yet 
higher lesson of the ministry of sorrow. "Ye are My 
witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God,"* — witnesses 
that He is good, and that goodness is supreme. " We 
are made a theater unto the world, both 3 to angels and 
to men." 4 

Unselfishness, the principle of God's kingdom, is the 
principle that Satan hates ; its very existence he denies. 
From the beginning of the great controversy he has 
endeavored to prove God's principles of action to be 
selfish, and he deals in the same way with all who serve 
God. To disprove Satan's claim is the work of Christ 
and of all who bear His name. 

It was to give in His own life an illustration of 
unselfishness that Jesus came in the form of humanity. 
And all who accept this principle are to be workers 
together with Him in demonstrating it in practical life. 
To choose the right because it is right; to stand for 
truth at the cost of suffering and sacrifice, — "this is the 

1 Rom. 8:28. - Isa. 43: 12. S R. V., margin. 4 1 Cor. 4 : 9, margin. 



'//>/c Bi og iap/i ie s 



155 



heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteous- 
ness is of Me, saith the Lord."' 

Very early in the history of the world is given the 
life-record of one over whom this controversy of Satan's 
was waged. 

Of Job, the patriarch of Uz, the testimony of the 
Searcher of hearts was, " There is none like him in the 
earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth 
God, and escheweth evil." 

Against this man, Satan brought scornful charge: 
" Doth Job fear God for naught? Hast Thou not made 
a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all 
that he hath on every side? . . . Put forth Thine 
hand now, and touch all that he hath;" "touch his 
bone and his flesh, and he will curse Thee to Thy face." 

The Lord said unto Satan, "All that he hath is in 
thy power." "Behold, he is in thine hand; but save 
his life." 

Thus permitted, Satan swept away all that Job pos- 
sessed, — flocks and herds, men-servants and maidens, 
sons and daughters; and he "smote Job with sore boils 
from the sole of his foot unto his crown."" 

Still another element of bitterness was added to his 
cup. His friends, seeing in adversity but the retribution 
of sin, pressed on his bruised and burdened spirit their 
accusations of wrong-doing. 

Seemingly forsaken of heaven and earth, yet holding 
fast his faith in God and his consciousness of integrity, 
in anguish and perplexity he cried: — 

"My soul is weary of my life." 

"O that Thou wouldst hide me in the grave, 
That Thou wouldst keep me secret, until Thy wrath be past, 
That Thou wouldst appoint me a set time, and remember 
me ! " 3 



The Testing 
of Job 



Miscoticep t in 1 
of Ailversit y 



1 Isa 54:17. 



2 Job I :8-I2; 2:5-7. 



3 Job 10: 1 ; 14 : 13. 



156 



The niblr as an Educator 



Hath God 
Forsaken ? 



Faith's 
Assurance 



■So Was It 
unto Job " 



" Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard; 
I cry for help, but there is no judgment. . . . 
He hath stripped me of my glory, 
And taken the crown from my head. . . . 
My kinsfolk have failed, 

And my familiar friends have forgotten me. . . . 
They whom I loved are turned against me. . . . 
Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; 
For the hand of God hath touched me! " 

" O that I knew where I might find Him, 

That I might come even to His seat ! . . . 

Behold, I go forward, but He is not there; 

And backward, but I can not perceive Him; 

On the left hand, where He doth work, but I can not 
behold Him ; 

He hideth Himself on the right hand, that I can not see 
Him; 

But He knoweth the way that I take ; 

When He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." 
"Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." 

"I know that my Redeemer liveth, 
And that He shall stand up at the last upon the earth ; 
And after my skin hath been destroyed, this shall be, 
Even from my flesh shall I see God ; 
Whom I shall see for myself, 
And mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stranger." l 

According to his faith, so was it unto Job. "When 
He hath tried me," he said, "I shall come forth as 
gold." 2 So it came to pass. By his patient endurance 
he vindicated his own character, and thus the character 
of Him whose representative he was. And "the Lord 
turned the captivity of Job; . . . also the Lord 
gave Job twice as much as he had before. 
So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than 
his beginning." 3 



On the record of those who through self-abnegation 
have entered into the fellowship of Christ's sufferings, 

'Job 19:7-21, R. V.; 23:3-6, R. V.; 23:6-10; 13:15; 19 : 25-27, R. V., margin. 
-Job 23:10. B Job 42:10-12. 



.\ Faithful 
Friend 



Bible Biographies 157 

stand — one in the Old Testament and one in the New — 
the names of Jonathan and of John the Baptist. 

Jonathan, by birth heir to the throne, yet knowing 
himself set aside by the divine decree; to his rival the 
most tender and faithful of friends, shielding David's 
life at the peril of his own; steadfast at his father's side 
through the dark days of his declining power, and at 
his side falling at the last, — the name of Jonathan is 
treasured in heaven, and it stands on earth a witness 
to the existence and the power of unselfish love. 

John the Baptist, at his appearance as the Messiah's rhe 

Unwavering 

herald, stirred the nation. From place to place his steps witness 
were followed by vast throngs of people of every rank 
and station. But when the One came to whom he had 
borne witness, all was changed. The crowds followed 
Jesus, and John's work seemed fast closing. Yet there- 
was no wavering of his faith. "He must increase," he 
said, "but I must decrease." 1 

Time passed, and the kingdom which John had 
confidently expected was not established. In Herod's 
dungeon, cut off from the life-giving air and the desert 
freedom, he waited and watched. 

There was no display of arms, no rending of prison 
doors; but the healing of the sick, the preaching of the 
gospel, the uplifting of men's souls, testified to Christ's 
mission. 

Alone in the dungeon, seeing whither his path, like Fellowship 

in Sacrifice 

his Master's, tended, John accepted the trust, — fellow- 
ship with Christ in sacrifice. Heaven's messengers 
attended him to the grave. The intelligences of the 
universe, fallen and unfallen, witnessed his vindication 
of unselfish service. 

And in all the generations that have passed since 

1 John o : 3°- 



158 The Bible as an Educator 

then, suffering souls have been sustained by the testi- 
mony of John's life. In the dungeon, on the scaffold, 
•There Hath j n t i le f] ames men ant i women through centuries of 

Xot Risen ° 

a Greater-' darkness have been strengthened by the memory of 
him of whom Christ declared, "Among them that arc- 
born of women there hath not risen a greater." 1 



"And what shall I more say? for the time would fail 
me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and 
of Jephthah, . . . and Samuel, and of the prophets; 
who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought right- 
eousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of 
lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge 
of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed 
valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens, 

"Women received their dead raised to life again; 
-Through an( j others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; 
that they might obtain a better resurrection ; and others 
had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, more- 
over of bonds and imprisonment; the) - were stoned, 
they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with 
the sword; they wandered about in sheepskins and goat- 
skins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented (of whom the 
world was not worthy); they wandered in deserts, and 
in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 

"And these all, having obtained a good report 
.through faith, received not the promise; God having 
provided some better thing for us, that they without 
us should not be made perfect."" 

1 Matt. II : II. - Heb. 1 1 : 32-40 



Poetry and Song 



'THY STATUTES HAVE BEEN 
MY SONGS IN THE HOUSE OB MY 

PILGRIMAGE" 



r 7~ y HE earliest as well as the most sublime of poetic 
-*■ utterances known to man are found in the Scrip- 
tures. Before the oldest of the world's poets had sung, 
the shepherd of Midian recorded those words of God to 
Job, — in their majesty unequaled, unapproached, by the 
loftiest productions of human genius: — 

"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth ? 
Or who shut up the sea with doors, 
When it brake forth; . . . 
When I made the cloud the garment thereof, 
And thick darkness a swaddling-band for it, 
And prescribed for it My decree, 
And set bars and doors, 

And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further; 
And here shall thy proud waves be stayed? 

" Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began, 
And caused the dayspring to know its place? . . . 

" Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? 
Or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep? 
Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee ? 
Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death ? 
Hast thou comprehended the breadth of the earth ? 
Declare, if thou knowest it all. 

"Where is the way to the dwelling of light, 
And as for darkness, where is the place thereof ? . . . 

(159) 



Poetry of 
the Bible 



The Earliest 
Poem 



160 The Bible as an Educator 

" Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow, 
Or hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail? . . 
By what way is the light parted, 
Or the east wind scattered upon the earth ? 
Who hath cleft a channel for the water-flood, 
Or a way for the lightning of the thunder ; 
To cause it to rain on a land where no man is ; 
On the wilderness, wherein there is no man ; 
To satisfy the waste and desolate ground ; 
And to cause the tender grass to spring forth ?" 

" Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, 
Or loose the bands of Orion? 
Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? 
Or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?" ' 



For beauty of expression read also the description 



From "Song 
of Songs ' ' 

of spring-time, from the "Song of Songs": — 



" Lo, the winter is past, 
The rain is over and gone ; 
The flowers appear on the earth ; 
The time of the singing of birds is come, 
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land ; 
The fig-tree ripeneth her green figs, 
And the vines are in blossom, 
They give forth their fragrance. 
Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away." - 

And not inferior in beauty is Balaam's unwilling 
prophecy of blessing to Israel : — 

"From Aram hath Balak brought me, 
The king of Moab from the mountains of the East ; 
Come, curse me Jacob, 
An Ancient And come, defy Israel. 

Prophecy Hqw shaU j ausei whom God hath not CLirse d? 

And how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied ? 

For from the top of the rocks I see him, 

And from the hills I behold him; 

Lo, it is a people that dwell alone, 

And shall not be reckoned among the nations. . . . 

•Job 38:4-27, R. V. ; 38:31, 32. -|-;mt 2 : 11 13, R. V. 



Poetry and Song 



161 



1 Behold, I have received commandment to bless; 
And He hath blessed, and I can not reverse it. 
He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, 
Neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel; 
The Lord his God is with him, 
And the shout of a King is among them. . . . 
Surely there is no enchantment against 1 Jacob, 
Neither is there any divination against 1 Israel; 
Now shall it be said of Jacob and of Israel, 
What hath God wrought ! " 

1 He saith, which heareth the words of God, 
Which seeth the vision of the Almighty: • . . 
How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, 
Thy tabernacles, O Israel! 
As valleys are they spread forth, 
As gardens by the riverside, 
As lign-aloes which the Lord hath planted, 
As cedar-trees beside the waters." 

' He hath said, which heard the words of God, 
And knew the knowledge of the Most High : . . . 
I shall see Him, but not now ; 
I shall behold Him, but not nigh ; 
There shall come a Star out of Jacob, 
And a Scepter shall rise out of Israel. . . . 
Out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion." : 



"The Vision 
of the 
Almighty " 



The melody of praise is the atmosphere of heaven; 
and when heaven comes in touch with the earth, there 
is music and song, — "thanksgiving, and the voice of 
melody." 3 

Above the new-created earth, as it lay, fair and 
unblemished, under the smile of God, "the morning 
stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted 
for joy." 4 So human hearts, in sympathy with heaven, 
have responded to God's goodness in notes of praise. 
Many of the events of human history have been linked 
with song. 



'Margin. 

3 Isa. 51:3. 



'Num. 23 : 7-2;, R. V.; 24 : 4-6. R. \\; 24 : 16-19. 
4 Job 38:7. 



Sacred Song 



162 The Bible as an Educator 

The earliest song recorded in the Bible from the lips 
of men was that glorious outburst of thanksgiving by the 
hosts of Israel at the Red Sea: — - 

" I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously ; 
The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. 
At the The Lord is my strength and song, 

Red Sea ^nd j-[ e ; s Decome mv salvation; 

This is my God, and I will praise Him ; 
My father's God, and I will exalt Him." 

"Thy right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power, 
Thy right hand, O Lord, dasheth in pieces the enemy. 
Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods ? 
Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, 
Fearful in praises, doing wonders?" 

' The Lord shall reign forever and ever. . . . 
Sing ye to Jehovah, for He hath triumphed gloriously." ' 



Song 



Great have been the blessings received by men in 

response to songs of praise. The few words recounting 

an experience of the wilderness journey of Israel have a 

lesson worthy of our thought: — 

"They went to Beer; that is the well whereof the 

unsealed by Lord spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, 

and I will give them water." 2 "Then sang Israel this 

song: — 

"Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it: 
The well which the princes digged, 
Which the nobles of the people delved, 
With the scepter, and with their staves." 3 

How often in spiritual experience is this history 
repeated! how often by words of holy song are unsealed 
in the soul the springs of penitence and faith, of hope 
and love and joy! 

1 Ex. 15: 1, 2, 6-11, 18-21, K. V. 2 Num. 21 : 16. 

3 Num. 21 : 17, is, R. V. 



With Praise 



Poetry and Song 163 

It was with songs of praise that the armies of Israel 
went forth to the great deliverance under Jehoshaphat. 
To Jehoshaphat had come the tidings of threatened war. 
"There cometh a great multitude against thee," was the 
message, "the children of Moab, and the children of 
Amnion, and with them other beside." "And Jehosha- 
phat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and 
proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah 
gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord; 
even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the ■ 
Lord." And Jehoshaphat, standing in the temple-court 
before his people, poured out his soul in prayer, plead- 
ing God's promise, with confession of Israel's helpless- 
ness. "We have no might against this great company 
that cometh against us," he said; "neither know we 
what to do; but our eyes are upon Thee." 1 

Then upon Jahaziel a Levite "came the Spirit of the 
Lord; . . . and he said, Harken ye, all Judah, " TAe 

Battle Is 

and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehosha- Not Yours 
phat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor 
dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the 
battle is not yours, but God's. ... Ye shall not 
need to fight in this battle; set yourselves, stand ye still, 
and see the salvation of the Lord. . . . Fear not, 
nor be dismayed ; to-morrow go out against them ; for 
the Lord will be with you." 2 

"And they rose early in the morning, and went forth victory 
into the wilderness of Tekoa." 3 Before the army went 
singers, lifting their voices in praise to God, — praising 
Him for the victory promised. 

On the fourth day thereafter, the army returned to 
Jerusalem, laden with the spoil of their enemies, singing 
praise for the victory won. 

1 2 Chron. 20 : 2, 1, 3, 4, 12. * 2 Chron. 20 : 14-17. :i 2 Chron. 20: 20. 



164 



The Bible as an Educator 



The 

Shepherd 

Psalm 



"In the 
Shadow of 
Thy Wings " 



Through song, David, amidst the vicissitudes of 
his changeful life, held communion with heaven. I low- 
sweetly are his experiences as a shepherd lad reflected 
in the words : — 

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures ; 
He leadeth me beside the still waters. . . . 
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 
I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me ; 
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." 1 

In his manhood a hunted fugitive, finding refuge in 
the rocks and caves of the wilderness, he wrote: — 

" O God, Thou art my God ; early will 1 seek Thee; 
My soul thirsteth for Thee; my flesh longeth for Thee, 
In a dry and weary land, where no water is. . • 
Thou hast been my help, 
And in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice." 

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? 
And why art thou disquieted within me? 

Hope thou in God ; 
For I shall yet praise Him, 
Who is the health of my countenance, 
And my God." 

"The Lord is my light and my salvation ; 
Whom shall I fear? 
The Lord is the strength of my life ; 
Of whom shall I be afraid ? " 2 

The same trust is breathed in the words written 
when, a dethroned and crownless king, David fled from 
Jerusalem at the rebellion of Absalom. Spent with 
grief and the weariness of his flight, he with his com- 
pany had tarried beside the Jordan for a few hours' 
rest. He was awakened by the summons to immediate 
flight. In the darkness, the passage of the deep and 



1 Ps. 23 : 1-4. 



' l Ps. 63: 1-7, R. V.; 42:11; 27:1. 



Poetry and Song 



165 



swift-flowing stream must be made by that whole com- 
pany of men, women, and little children; for hard after 
them were the forces of the traitor-son. 

In that hour of darkest trial, David sang: — 

" T cried unto the Lord with my voice, 
And He heard me out of His holy hill. 

" I laid me down and slept ; 

I awaked ; for the Lord sustained me. 
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, 

That have set themselves against me round about." ' 

After his great sin, in the anguish of remorse and 
self-abhorrence he still turned to God as his best friend: 

"Have mercy upon me, according to Thy loving-kindness; 
According unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies 
blot out my transgressions. . . . 
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean ; 

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." 2 

In his long life, David found on earth no resting- 
place. "We are strangers before Thee, and sojourners," 
he said, "as all our fathers were; our days on the earth 
are as a shadow, and there is no abiding." 3 

" God is our refuge and strength, 

A very present help in trouble. 
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, 
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of 
the sea." 

"There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of 
God, 
The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. 
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved : 

God shall help her, at the dawn of morning. . . . 
The Lord of hosts is with us; 
The God of Jacob is our refuge." 

" This God is our God forever and ever ; 
He will be our guide even unto death." * 

l Ps. 3:4-8. 2 Ps. 51:1-7. :: 1 ' " hron . 29 : 15, R. V. 

4 Ps. 46 : 1, 2 ; 46 : 4-7, R. V , margin ; 4S : 14. 



Songs in 
the Night 



Yearnings 
lor Home 



The 
Saviour's 



166 The Bible as an Educator 

With a song, Jesus in His earthly life met tempta- 
tion. Often when sharp, stinging words were spoken,, 
often when the atmosphere about Him was heavy with 
gloom, with dissatisfaction, distrust, or oppressive fear, 
was heard His song of faith and holy cheer. 

On that last sad night of the Passover supper, as 
song lie was about to go forth to betrayal and to death, His 
voice was lifted in the psalm: — 

" Blessed be the name of the Lord 
From this time forth and forevermore. 
From the rising of the sun until the going down of the 

same 
The Lord's name is to be praised." 

" I love the Lord, because He hath heard my voice and my 
supplications. 
Because He hath inclined His ear unto me, 
Therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live. 

" The sorrows of death compassed me, 
And the pains of hell gat hold upon me; 

I found trouble and sorrow. 
Then called I upon the name of the Lord : 

Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul. 
Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; 

Yea, our God is merciful. 

"The Lord preserveth the simple; 

1 was brought low, and He helped me. 
Return unto thy rest, O my soul ; 

For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. 
For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes 
from tears, and my feet from falling." ' 



Amidst the deepening shadows of earth's last great 
crisis, God's light will shine brightest, and the song of 
hope and trust will be heard in clearest and loftiest 
strains. 

l Ps. 113 : 2, 3; 116: t-8. 



Poetry and So?ig 167 

"In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah : 
We have a strong city ; 

Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. 
Open ye the gates, 
That the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may 

enter in. 
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace 

Whose mind is stayed on Thee ; because he trusteth in Thee. 
Trust ye in the Lord forever; 
For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." 1 



"The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come " with 

Singing 

with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be zion" 
upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, 
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."'' 

"They shall come and sing in the height of Zion, 
and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord; 
and their soul shall be as a watered garden ; 
and they shall not sorrow any more at all."" 



The history of the songs of the Bible is full of 
suggestion as to the uses and benefits of music and 
song. Music is often perverted to serve purposes of 
evil, and it thus becomes one of the most alluring 
agencies of temptation. But, rightly employed, it is a 
precious gift of God, designed to uplift the thoughts to 
high and noble themes, to inspire and elevate the soul. 

As the children of Israel, journeying through the Power 

g of Soii£ 

wilderness, cheered their way by the music of sacred 
song, so God bids His children to-day gladden their 
pilgrim life. There are few means more effective for 
fixing His words in the memory than repeating them 
in song. And such song has wonderful power. It has 

1 Isa. 26: 1-4. 2 Isa. 35 : 10, R. V. 3 Jer. 31 : 12. 



168 The Bible as an Educator 

power to subdue rude and uncultivated natures; power 
to quicken thought and to awaken sympathy, to pro- 
mote harmony of action, and to banish the gloom and 
foreboding that destroy courage and weaken effort. 

It is one of the most effective means of impressing 

the heart with spiritual truth. How often to the soul 

hard-pressed and ready to despair, memory recalls some 

a Menns of worc [ f God's, — the long-forgotten burden of a child- 

Education ° ° 

hood song, — and temptations lose their power, life takes 
on new meaning and new purpose, and courage and 
gladness are imparted to other souls! 

The value of song as a means of education should 
never be lost sight of. Let there be singing in the 
home, of songs that are sweet and pure, and there will 
be fewer words of censure, and more of cheerfulness and 
hope and joy. Let there be singing in the school, and 
the pupils will be drawn closer to God, to their teachers, 
and to one another. 

As a part of religious service, singing is as much an 
act of worship as is prayer. Indeed, many a song is 
prayer. If the child is taught to realize this, he will 
think more of the meaning of the words he sings, and 
will be more susceptible to their power. 

As our Redeemer leads us to the threshold of the 
The Angeis' Infinite, flushed with the glory of God, we may catch 
the themes of praise and thanksgiving from the heavenly 
choir round about the throne; and as the echo of the 
angels' song is awakened in our earthly homes, hearts 
will be drawn closer to the heavenly singers. Heaven's 
communion begins on earth. We learn here the key^ 
note of its praise. 



Sniii 



Mysteries of the Bible 



"CANST THOU BY SEARCHING 
FIND OUT GOD?" 



A TO finite mind can fully comprehend the character 
^ * or the works of the Infinite One. We can not by 
searching find out God. To minds the strongest and 
most highly cultured, as well as to the weakest and "Canst Thou 

. . . . F*°d Out 

most ignorant, that holy Being must remain clothed in con-?-- 
mystery. But though "clouds and darkness are round 
about Him, righteousness and judgment are the founda- 
tion of His throne." 1 We can so far comprehend His 
dealing with us as to discern boundless mercy united 
to infinite power. We can understand as much of His 
purposes as we are capable of comprehending; beyond 
this we may still trust the hand that is omnipotent, the 
heart that is full of love. 

The word of God, like the character of its Author, 
presents mysteries that can never be fully comprehended 
by finite beings. But God has given in the Scriptures 
sufficient evidence of their divine authority. His own 
existence, His character, the truthfulness of His word, 
are established by testimony that appeals to our reason; 
and this testimony is abundant. True, He has not 
removed the possibility of doubt; faith must rest upon 
evidence, not demonstration; those who wish to doubt 
have opportunity; but those who desire to know the 
truth find ample ground for faith. 

1 I's. 97:2, R. V. (169) 



Ground for 

Trust 



170 The Bible as an Educator 

We have no reason to doubt God's word because 
we can not understand the mysteries of His providence. 
In the natural world we are constantly surrounded with 
wonders beyond our comprehension. Should we then 
be surprised to find in the spiritual world also mysteries 
that we can not fathom? The difficult)' lies solely in 
the weakness and narrowness of the human mind. 

The mysteries of the Bible, so far from being an 
Mysteries argument against it, are among the strongest evidences 

Evidence of _ ...... . . 

Divinity of its divine inspiration. If it contained no account of 
God but that which we could comprehend; if His 
greatness and majesty could be grasped by finite minds, 
then the Bible would not, as now, bear the unmistak- 
able evidences of divinity. The greatness of its themes 
should inspire faith in it as the word of God. 

The Bible unfolds truth with a simplicity and an 
adaptation to the needs and longings of the human 
heart that has astonished and charmed the most highly 
cultivated minds, while to the humble and uncultured 
also it makes plain the way of life. "The wayfaring 
men, though fools, shall not err therein." 1 No child 
need mistake the path. Not one trembling seeker need 
fail of walking in pure and holy light. Yet the most 
simplicity simply stated truths lay hold upon themes elevated, 
Adaptation far-reaching, infinitely beyond the power of human com- 
prehension, — mysteries that are the hiding of His glory, 
— mysteries that overpower the mind in its research, 
while they inspire the sincere seeker for truth with 
reverence and faith. The more we search the Bible, 
the deeper is our conviction that it is the word of the 
living God, and human reason bows before the majesty 
of divine revelation. 

God intends that to the earnest seeker the truths of 

'Isa. 35:8. 



Mysteries of the Bible 171 

His word shall be ever unfolding. While "the secret 
things belong unto the Lord our God," "those things 
which are revealed belong unto us and to our chil- 
dren." 1 The idea that certain portions of the Bible can 
not be understood has led to neglect of some of its 
most important truths. The fact needs to be empha- Limit to 

1 Comprehen- 

sized, and often repeated, that the mysteries of the Bible sio„ 
are not such because God has sought to conceal truth, 
but because our own weakness or ignorance makes us 
incapable of comprehending or appropriating truth. The 
limitation is not in His purpose, but in our capacity. 
Of those very portions of Scripture often passed by as 
impossible to be understood, God desires us to under- 
stand as much as our minds are capable of receiving. 
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God," that we 
may be "thoroughly furnished unto all good works."" 

It is impossible for any human mind to exhaust even 
one truth or promise of the Bible. One catches the 
glory from one point of view, another from another 
point; yet we can discern only gleamings. The full 
radiance is beyond our vision. 

As we contemplate the great things of God's word, 
we look into a fountain that broadens and deepens 
beneath our gaze. Its breadth and depth pass our 
knowledge. As we gaze, the vision widens; stretched 
out before us we behold a boundless, shoreless sea. 

Such study has vivifying power. The mind and 
heart acquire new strength, new life. 

This experience is the highest evidence of the divine 
authorship of the Bible. We receive God's word as food 
for the soul, through the same evidence by which we 
receive bread as food, for the body. Bread supplies the 
need of our nature; we know by experience that it 

•Deut.sgizg. 2 2 Tim. 3 : iC, 17. 



Inexhaustible 
Riches 



172 The Bible as an Educator 

produces blood and bone and brain. Apply the same 
test to the Bible: when its principles have actually, 
become the elements of character, what has been the 
result? what changes have been made in the life? — "Old 
Tested by tliincfs are passed away; behold, all things are become 

Experience . 

new." 1 In its power, men and women have broken the 
chains of sinful habit. They have renounced selfish- 
ness. The profane have become reverent, the drunken 
sober, the profligate pure. Souls that have borne the 
likeness of Satan, have been transformed into the image 
of God. This change is itself the miracle of miracles. 
A change wrought by the word, it is one of the deepest 
mysteries of the word. We can not understand it; we 
can only believe, as declared by the Scriptures, it is 
"Christ in you, the hope of glory." 2 

A knowledge of this mystery furnishes a key to 
every other. It opens to the soul the treasures of 
the universe, the possibilities of infinite development. 

And this development is gained through the con- 
piedfre of s tant unfolding- to us of the character of God, — the 

Eternal ° 

Growth glory and the mystery of the written word. If it 
were possible for us to attain to a full understanding 
of God and His word, there would be for us no 
further discovery of truth, no greater knowledge, no 
further development. God would cease to be supreme, 
and man would cease to advance. Thank God, it is 
not so. Since God is infinite, and in Him are all the 
treasures of wisdom, we may to all eternity be ever 
searching, ever learning, yet never exhaust the riches 
of His wisdom, His goodness, or His power. 

1 2 Cor. 5 : 1;. 2 Col. 1: 27. 



History and Prophecy 



'who hath declared THIS FROM 

ANCIENT TIME? HAVE NOT I THE 
LORD? THERE IS NO GOD ELSE" 



^I^HE Bjble is the most ancient and the most compre- 
■*■ hensive history that men possess. It came fresh 
from the fountain of eternal truth, and throughout the 
ages a divine hand has preserved its purity. It lights 
up the far-distant past, where human research in vain 
seeks to penetrate. In God's word only do we behold 
the power that laid the foundations of the earth, and 
that stretched out the heavens. Here only do we find 
an authentic account of the origin of nations. Here 
only is given a history of our race unsullied by human 
pride or prejudice. 

In the annals of human history the growth of 
nations, the rise and fall of empires, appear as depend- 
ent on the will and prowess of man. The shaping of 
events seems, to a great degree, to be determined by 
his power, ambition, or caprice. But in the word of 
God the curtain is drawn aside, and we behold, behind, 
above, and through all the play and counter-play of 
human interests and power and passions, the agencies 
of the all-merciful One, silently, patiently working out 
the counsels of His own will. 

The Bible reveals the true philosophy of history. 
In those words of matchless beauty and tenderness 

(173) 



The Earliest 
of Annuls 



Philosophy 

of History 



i?4 



The Bible as an Educator 



Distribution 
of Races 



National 
Prosperity 



spoken by the apostle Paul to the sages of Athens is 
set forth God's purpose in the creation and distribution 
of races and nations: He "hath made of one blood all 
nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, 
and hath determined the times before appointed and 
the bounds of their habitation; that they should seel-, 
the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find 
Him." 1 God declares that whosoever will may come 
"into the bond of the covenant."" In the creation it 
was His purpose that the earth be inhabited by beings 
whose existence should be a blessing to themselves and 
to one another, and an honor to their Creator. All 
who will may identify themselves with this purpose. 
Of them it is spoken, "This people have I formed for 
Myself; they shall show forth My praise." 3 

God has revealed in His law the principles that 
underlie all true prosperity both of nations and of 
individuals. "This is your wisdom and your under- 
standing," Moses declared to the Israelites of the law 
of God. "It is not a vain thing for you; because it is 
your life." 4 The blessings thus assured to Israel are, 
on the same conditions and in the same degree, assured 
to every nation and every individual under the broad 
heavens. 

The power exercised by every ruler on the earth is 
Heaven-imparted; and upon his use of the power thus 
bestowed, his success depends. To each the word of 
the divine Watcher is, "I girded thee, though thou hast 
not known Me." b And to each the words spoken to 
Nebuchadnezzar of old are the lesson of life: "Break 
off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by 
showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening 
of thy tranquillity.'"' 

'Acts 17:26,27. -Hze. 211:37. 3 Isa. 43:21. 

4 Peut. 4:6; 32:47. Msa. 45:5. ° Dan. 4:27. 



History and Prophecy 175 

To understand these things, — to understand that 
"righteousness exalteth a nation;" that "the throne 
is established by righteousness," and "upholden by rhe source 

ill -1 1 • r Gt Power 

mercy; to recognize the outworking of these prin- 
ciples in the manifestation of His power who "removeth 
kings, and setteth up kings,"' 2 — this is to understand the 
philosophy of history. 

In the word of God only is this clearly set forth. 
Here it is shown that the strength of nations, as of 
individuals, is not found in the opportunities or facilities 
that appear to make them invincible; it is not found in 
their boasted greatness. It is measured by the fidelity 
with which they fulfil God's purpose. 

An illustration of this truth is found in the history 
of ancient Babylon. To Nebuchadnezzar the king the 
true object of national government was represented 
under the figure of a great tree, whose height "reached object of 

i ... r . - Government 

unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the 
earth; the leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof 
much, and in it was meat for all;" under its shadow 
the beasts of the field dwelt, and among its branches 
the birds of the air had their habitation. 3 This repre- 
sentation shows the character of a government that 
fulfils God's purpose, — a government that protects and 
upbuilds the nation. 

God exalted Babylon that it might fulfil this pur- 
pose. Prosperity attended the nation, until it reached Babylon 
a height of wealth and power that has never since 
been equaled, — fitly represented in the Scriptures by 
the inspired symbol, a "head of gold." 4 

But the king failed of recognizing the power that 
had exalted him. Nebuchadnezzar in the pride of his 
heart said: "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built 

t Prov. 14 : 34 ; 16: 12; 20: 28. 2 Dan. 2:21. 3 Dan. 4 : n, 12. « Dan. 2 : 38. 



176 The Bible as an Educator 

for the house of the kingdom by the might of my 
power, and for the honor of my majesty?" 1 

Instead of being a protector of men, Babylon be- 
Its came a proud and cruel oppressor. The words of 

Oppressive ..... 

Power Inspiration picturing the cruelty and greed of rulers 

in Israel, reveal the secret of Babylon's fall, and of the 

fall of many another kingdom since the world began : 

"Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye 

kill them that are fed; but ye feed not the flock. The 

diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye 

healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound 

up that which was broken, neither have ye brought 

again that which was driven away, neither have ye 

• sought that which was lost; but with force and with 

cruelty have ye ruled them."" 

To the ruler of Babylon came the sentence of the 

Retribution divine Watcher: O king, "to thee it is spoken: The 

kingdom is departed from thee." 3 

"Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of 
Babylon, 

Sit on the ground ; there is no throne. . . . 

Sit thou silent, 

And get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; 

For thou shalt no more be called the lady of kingdoms. " * 
"O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in 
treasures, 

Thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness." 
'• Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, 

The beauty of the Chaldee's excellency, 

Shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah." 

"I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and 
pools of water; and I will sweep it with the besom of 
destruction, saith the Lord of hosts." a 

Every nation that has come upon the stage of action 
has been permitted to occupy its place on the earth, that 

1 Dan. 4:30. 2 Eze. 34:3, 4. 3 Dan. 4 : 31. 4 Isa 47:1-5. 
sjer 51 : 13; Isa. 13 : 19; 14 : 23. 



History and Prophecy 177 

it might be seen whether it would fulfil the purpose of 
"the Watcher and the Holy One." Prophecy has 
traced the rise and fall of the world's great empires, — 
Babylon, Medo- Persia, Greece, and Rome. With each Kise and 
of these, as with nations of less power, histoiy repeated Q f Nations 
itself. Each had its period of test, each failed, its glory 
faded, its power departed, and its place was occupied by 
another. 

While the nations rejected God's principles, and in 
this rejection wrought their own ruin, it was still mani- 
fest that the divine, overruling purpose was working 
through ali their movements. 

This lesson is taught in a wonderful symbolic repre- 
sentation given to the prophet Ezekiel during his exile 
in the land of the Chaldeans. The vision was given at 
a time when Ezekiel was weighed down with sorrowful 
memories and troubled forebodings. The land of his 
fathers was desolate. Jerusalem was depopulated. The 
prophet himself was a stranger in a land where ambition 
and cruelty reigned supreme. As on every hand he 
beheld tyranny and wrong, his soul was distressed, and 
he mourned day and night. But the symbols presented 
to him revealed a power above that of earthly rulers. 

Upon the banks»of the river Chcbar, Ezekiel beheld 
a whirlwind seeming to come from the north, "a great 
cloud, and a fire enfolding itself, and a brightness war 
about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of 
amber." A number of wheels, intersecting one another, 
were moved by four living beings. High above all 
these was the "likeness of a throne, as the appearance 
of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne 
was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon 
it." "And there appeared in the cherubim the form of 



Vision of 
the Cherubim 



i ;8 



The Bible as an Educator 



The Guiding 
Hand 



A Place in 
God's 

Purpose 



Fulfilment 
of Prophecy 



a man's hand under their wings." 1 The wheels were 
so complicated in arrangement that at first sight they ■ 
appeared to be in confusion; but they moved in per- 
fect harmony. Heavenly beings, sustained and guided 
by the hand beneath the wings of the cherubim, were 
impelling these wheels; above them, upon the sapphire 
throne, was the Eternal One; and round about the 
throne a rainbow, the emblem of divine mercy. 

As the wheel-like complications were under the 
guidance of the hand beneath the wings of the cheru- 
bim, so the complicated play of human events is under 
divine control. Amidst the strife and tumult of nations, 
He' that sitteth above the cherubim still guides the 
affairs of the earth. 

The history of nations that one after another have 
occupied their allotted time and place, unconsciously 
witnessing to the truth of which they themselves knew 
not the meaning, speaks to us. To every nation and to 
every individual of to-day God has assigned a place in 
His great plan. To-day men and nations are being 
measured by the plummet in the hand of Him who 
makes no mistake. All are by their own choice 
deciding their destiny, and God is overruling all for 
the accomplishment of His purposes. 

The history which the great I AM has marked out 
in His word, uniting link after link in the prophetic 
chain, from eternity in the past to eternity in the future, 
tells us where we are to-day in the procession of the 
ages, and what may be expected in the time to come. 
All that prophecy has foretold as coming to pass, un- 
til the present time, has been traced on the pages of 
history, and we may be assured that all which is yet 
to come will be fulfilled in its order. 



1 Eze. i : 4, 26 ; 10 : 8. 



History and Prophecy 179 

The final overthrow of all earthly dominions is 
plainly foretold in the word of truth. In the prophecy 
uttered when sentence from God was pronounced upon 
the last king of Israel is given the message: — 

"Thus saith the Lord God: Remove the diadem, 
and take off the crown ; . exalt him that is low, 

and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, 
overturn it; and it shall be no more, until He come 
whose right it is; and I will give it Him." 1 

The crown removed from Israel passed successively 
to the kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and 
Rome. God says, "It shall be no more, until He 
come whose right it is; and I will give it Him." 

That time is at hand. To-day the signs of the ,S ' A '" S "' 

the Times 

times declare that we are standing on the threshold of 
great and solemn events. Everything in our world is 
in agitation. Before our eyes is fulfilling the Saviour's 
prophecy of the events to precede His coming: "Ye 
shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. . . . Nation 
shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 
and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earth- 
quakes, in divers places." 2 

The present is a time of overwhelming interest to all 
living. Rulers and statesmen, men who occupy posi- 
tions of trust and authority, thinking men and women 
of all classes, have their attention fixed upon the events On the 

\ cv tr c of 

taking place about us. They are watching the strained, a ewsfc 
restless relations that exist among the nations. They 
observe the intensity that is taking possession of every 
earthly element, and they recognize that something great 
and decisive is about to take place, — that the world is 
on the verge of a stupendous crisis. 

Angels arc now restraining the winds of strife, that 

1 Eze. 21 : 26, 27. 2 Matt. 2t : 6, 7. 



i8o 



The Bible as an Educator 



they may not blow until the world shall be warned of 
its coming doom ; but a storm is gathering, ready to 
burst upon the earth; and when God shall bid His 
angels loose the winds, there will be such a scene of 
strife as no pen can picture. 

The Bible, and the Bible only, gives a correct view 

of these things. Here are revealed the great final 

The Final scenes in the history of our world, events that already 

Scenes . r 

are casting their shadows before, the sound of their 
approach causing the earth to tremble, and men's 
hearts to fail them for fear. 

"Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and 
maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scat- 
tereth abroad the inhabitants thereof; . . . because 
they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, 
broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the 
curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein 
are desolate. . . . The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, 
the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the 
harp ceaseth." 1 

"Alas for the da) - ! for the da)' of the Lord is at 
hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it 
come. . . . The seed is rotten under their clods, 
the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken 
down; for the corn is withered. How do the beasts 
groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because then- 
have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made 
desolate." "The vine is dried up, and the fig-tree 
languisheth ; the pomegranate-tree, the palm-tree also, 
and the apple-tree, even all the trees of the field, are 
withered; because joy is withered away from the sons 
of men;'-' 

"I am pained at my very heart; ... I can not 

J Isa. 24: i-b. "Joel l : 15-i-S, 12. 



'Destruction 
upon 
Destruction ' 



"Time 
of Jacob's 



History and Prophecy 181 

hold my peace, because thou hast heard, my soul, 
the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Destruc- 
tion upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is 
spoiled." 

"I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, 
and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I 
beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all 
the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was 
no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I 
beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and 
all the cities thereof were broken down." 1 

"Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it; 
it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be Trouble 
saved out of it." 2 

"Come, My people, enter thou into thy chambers, 
and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as it were 
for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast."" 

" Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, 
Even the Most High, thy habitation ; 
There shall no evil befall thee, 
Neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." i 

"The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, 

And called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the 
going down thereof. 

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. 

Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence." 
" He shall call to the heavens above, 

And to the earth, that He may judge His people; . . . 

And the heavens shall declare His righteousness; 

For God is judge Himself." 3 

"O daughter of Zion, . . . the Lord shall 
redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. Now 
also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, 
Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. 
But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither 

'Jer. 4 : iy, 20, 23-26. 2 Jer. 30:7. 3 Isa. 26:20. 4 Ps. 91:9,10. 
BPs. 50: 1-3: 50:4-6, R. V. 



'Our (iocl 
Shall Come' 



Sa ve ' 



1S2 The Bible as an .Educator 

understand they His counsel." "Because they call thee 
an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh 
after," "I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal 
thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord." "I will bring 
again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy 
on his dwelling-places."' 

"And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God ; 
'lie Will We have waited for Him, and He will save us: 

This is the Lord ; we have waited for Him, 
We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation " 

"He will swallow up death in victory; . . . and 
the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off 
all the earth; for the Lord hath spoken it.'" 

"Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities; thine 
eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle 
that shall not be taken down. . . . For the Lord is 
our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our 
king." 3 

"With righteousness shall He judge the poor, and 
reprove with equity for the meek of the earth." * 

Then will the purpose of God be fulfilled; the prin- 
ciples of His kingdom will be honored by all beneath 
the sun. 

"Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, 
Wasting nor destruction within thy borders ; 
But thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, 
And thy gates Praise." 

'• In righteousness shalt thou be established: 
Thou shalt be far from oppression ; for thou shalt not 

fear : 
And from terror; for it shall not come near thee."" 1 

The prophets to whom these great scenes were 
revealed longed to understand their import. They 
"inquired and searched diligently; . . . searching 

1 Micali 4 : 10-12; Jer 30:17,18. B Isa. 25:9, 8. 3 Isa. 33 : 20-22. 

4 N:i. 11:4. 6 Isa. 6 1 : IS; 54 : 1 4. 



History and Prophecy 



183 



what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ 
which was in them did signify. . . . Unto whom 
it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us 
they did minister the things which are now reported 
unto you; . . . which things the angels desire to 
look into." 1 

To us who are standing on the very verge of their 
fulfilment, of what deep moment, what living interest, 
are these delineations of the things to come, — events for 
which, since our first parents turned their steps from 
Eden, God's children have watched and waited, longed 
and prayed! 

At this time, before the great final crisis, as before 
the world's first destruction, men are absorbed in the 
pleasures and the pursuits of sense. Engrossed with 
the seen and transitory, they have lost sight of the 
unseen and eternal. For the things that perish with 
the using, they are sacrificing imperishable riches. 
Their minds need to be uplifted, their views of life 
to be broadened. They need to be aroused from the 
lethargy of worldly dreaming. 

From the rise and fall of nations as made plain in 
the pages of Holy Writ, they need to learn how worth- 
less is mere outward and worldly glory. Babylon, with 
all its power and its magnificence, the like of which our 
world has never since beheld, — power and magnificence 
which to the people of that day seemed so stable and 
enduring, — how completely has it passed away! As 
"the flower of the grass," it has perished. So perishes 
all that has not God for its foundation. Only that 
which is bound up with His purpose, and expresses 
His character, can endure. His principles are the only 
steadfast thines our world knows. 



A Lesson 
for To-Dav 



1 1 Peter 1 : 10-12. 



1S4 The Bible as on Educator 

It is these great truths that old and young need to 
learn. We need to study the working out of God's 
purpose in the history of nations and in the revelation 
of things to come, that we may estimate at their true 
value things seen and things unseen; that we may 
learn what is the true aim of life; that, viewing the 
things of time in the light of eternity, we may put 
them to their truest and noblest use. Thus, learning 
here the principles of His kingdom and becoming its 
subjects and citizens, we may be prepared at His coming 
• to enter with Him into its possession. 

The day is at hand. For the lessons to be learned, 
The Emi the work to be done, the transformation of character to 
be effected, the time remaining is but too brief a span. 

"Behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision 
that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophe- 
sieth of the times that are far off. Therefore say unto 
them, Thus saith the Lord God: There shall none of 
*My words be prolonged any more, but the word which 
I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord God." 1 

1 Eze. 12: 27, 28. 



Is itt Hand 



Bible Teaching and 

Study 



"incline thine far unto 
wisdom; search for hkr 
as for hid treasures" 



TN childhood, youth, and manhood, Jesus studied the 
-*■ Scriptures. As a little child, He was daily, at His 
mother's knee, taught from the scrolls of the prophets. 
In His youth the early morning and the evening twi- 
light often found Him alone on the mountainside or 
among the trees of the forest, spending a quiet hour 
in prayer and the study of God's word. During His 
ministry His intimate acquaintance with the Scriptures 
testifies to His diligence in their study. And since He 
gained knowledge as we may gain it, His wonderful 
power, both mental and spiritual, is a testimony to the 
value of the Bible as a means of education. 

Our heavenly Father, in giving His word, did not 
overlook the children. In all that men have written, 
where can be found anything that has such a hold 
upon the heart, anything so well adapted to awaken the 
interest of the little ones, as the stories of the Bible? 

In these simple stories may be made plain the great 
principles of the law of God. Thus by illustrations 
best suited to the child's comprehension, parents and 
teachers may begin very early to fulfil the Lord's 
injunction concerning His precepts: "Thou shalt teach 

US5> 



A Bible 

Sturient 



Stories 
for tlic 
Utile Ones 



1 86 The Bible as an Educator 

them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of 
them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou 
walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and 
when thou risest up." 1 

The use of object-lessons, blackboards, maps, and 

pictures, will be an aid in explaining these lessons, 

Object ant j fixing them in the memory. Parents and teachers 

Lessons 

should constantly seek for improved methods. The 
teaching of the Bible should have our freshest thought, 
our best methods, and our most earnest effort. 

In arousing and strengthening a love for Bible 
stud} r , much depends on the use of the hour of wor- 
- ship. The hours of morning and evening worship 
should be the sweetest and most helpful of the day. 
Let it be understood that into these hours no troubled, 
unkind thoughts are to intrude; that parents and chil- 
dren assemble to meet with Jesus, and to invite into 
the home the presence of holy angels. Let the serv- 
ices be brief and full of life, adapted to the occasion, 
and varied from time to time. Let all join in the Bible 
Family reading, and learn and often repeat God's law. It will 
add to the interest of the children if they are some- 
times permitted to select the reading. Question them 
upon it, and let them ask questions. Mention anything 
that will serve to illustrate its meaning. When the 
service is not thus made too lengthy, let the little ones 
take part in prayer, and let them join in song, if it be 
but a single verse. 

To make such a service what it should be, thought 

should be given to preparation. And parents should 

take time daily for Bible study with their children. No 

doubt it will require effort and planning and some sacrifice 

. to accomplish this; but the effort will be richly repaid. 

1 Deut. 6:7. 



B ib Ic Te a ch i ng a n </ St u dy 



187 



As a preparation for teaching His precepts, God 
commands that they be hidden in the hearts of the 
parents. "These words, which I command thee this 
day, shall be in thine heart," He says; "and thou shalt 
teach them diligently." 1 In order to interest our chil- 
dren in the Bible, we ourselves must be interested in it. 
To awaken in them a love for its study, we must love 
it. Our instruction to them will have only the weight 
of influence given it by our own example and spirit. 

God called Abraham to be a teacher of His word, 
He chose him to be the father of a great nation, because 
He saw that Abraham would instruct his children and 
his household in the principles of God's law. And that 
which gave power to Abraham's teaching was the influ- 
ence of his own life. His great household consisted 
of more than a thousand souls, many of them heads 
of families, and not a few but newly converted from 
heathenism. Such a household required a firm hand 
at the helm. No weak, vacillating methods would 
suffice. Of Abraham God said, "I know him, that he 
will command his children and his household after 
him." 2 Yet his authority was exercised with such 
wisdom and tenderness that hearts were won. The 
testimony of the divine Watcher is, "They shall keep 
the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment." 3 
And Abraham's influence extended beyond his own 
household. Wherever he pitched his tent, he set up 
beside it the altar for sacrifice and worship. When 
the tent was removed, the altar remained; and many a 
roving Canaanite, whose knowledge of God had been 
gained from the life of Abraham His servant, tarried 
at that altar to offer sacrifice to Jehovah. 

No less effective to-day will be the teaching of 

IDeut. 6:G, 7. 2 Gen. 18: 19. 



Personal 
Influence and 
Example 



Abraham an 
Illustration 



1 88 



The Bible as a >i Educaidi 



Original 
Study 



Beauty of 

Thought and 

Expression 



God's word when it finds as faithful a reflection in the 
teacher's life. 

It is not enough to know what others have thought 
or learned about the Bible. Every *one must in the 
judgment give account of himself to God, and each 
should now learn for himself what is truth. But in 
order to effective study, the interest of the pupil must 
be enlisted. Especially by the one who has to deal 
with children and youth differing widely in disposition, 
training, and habits of thought, this is a matter not 
to be lost sight of. In teaching children the Bible, we 
may gain much by observing the bent of their minds, 
the things in which they are interested, and arousing 
their interest to see what the Bible says about these 
things. He who created us, with our various aptitudes, 
has in His word given something for every one. As 
the pupils see that the lessons of the Bible apply to 
their own lives, teach them to look to it as a counselor. 

Help them also to appreciate its wonderful beauty. 
Many books of no real value, books that are exciting 
and unhealthful, are recommended, or at least per- 
mitted to be used, because of their supposed literary 
value. Why should we direct our children to drink of 
these polluted streams, when they may have free access 
to the pure fountains of the word of God? The Bible 
has a fulness, a strength, a depth of meaning, that is in- 
exhaustible. Encourage the children and youth to seek 
out its treasures, both of thought and of expression. 

As the beauty of these precious things attracts their 
minds, a softening, subduing power will touch their 
hearts. They will be drawn to Him who has thus 
revealed Himself to them. And there are few who 
will not desire to know more of His works and ways. 



Bible Teaching and Study 189 

The .student of the Bible should be taught to 
approach it in the spirit of a learner. We are to search Purpose in 

1 r r Study 

its pages, not for proof to sustain our opinions, but in 
order to know what God says. 

A true knowledge of the Bible can be gained only 
through the aid of that Spirit by whom the word was 
given. And in order to gain this knowledge we must 
live by it. All that God's word commands, Ave are to 
obey. All that it promises, we may claim. The life 
which it enjoins is the life that, through its power, we 
are to live. Only as the Bible is thus held can it be 
studied effectively. 

The study of the Bible demands our most diligent 
effort and persevering thought. As the miner digs for 
the golden treasure in the earth, so earnestly, persist- 
ently, must we seek for the treasure of God's word. 

In daily study the verse-by-verse method is often 
most helpful. Let the student take one verse, and con- 
centrate the mind on ascertaining the thought that God Thoroughness 
has put into that verse for him, and then dwell upon concentration 
the thought until it becomes his own. One passage 
thus studied until its significance is clear, is of more 
value than the perusal of many chapters with no definite 
purpose in view, and no positive instruction gained. 

One of the chief causes of mental inefficiency and 
moral weakness is the lack of concentration for worthy 
ends. We pride ourselves on the wide distribution of 
literature; but the multiplication of books, even books 
that in themselves are not harmful, may be a positive 
evil. With the immense tide of printed matter con- 
stantly pouring from the press, old and young form the 
habit o( reading hastily and superficially, and the mind 
loses its power of connected and vigorous thought. 



190 



The Bible as an Educator 



Unwholesome 

Literature 



.1 Shield 

from 
Temptation 



Comprehensive 
Study 



Furthermore, a large share of the periodicals and books 
that, like the frogs of Egypt, arc overspreading the land, 

are not merely commonplace, idle, and enervating, but 
unclean and degrading. Their effect is not merely to 
intoxicate and ruin the mind, but to corrupt and destroy 
the soul. The mind, the heart, that is indolent, aimless, 
falls an easy prey to evil. It is on diseased, lifeless 
organisms that fungus roots. It is the idle mind th.it 
is Satan's workshop. Let the mind be directed to 
high and holy ideals, let the life have a noble aim, 
an absorbing purpose, and evil finds little foothold. 

Let the youth, then, be taught to give close study to 
the word of God. Received into the soul, it will prove 
a mighty barricade against temptation. "Th\- word," 
the psalmist declares, "have I hid in mine heart, that I 
might not sin against Thee." "By the word of Thy 
lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer." 1 

The Bible is its own expositor. Scripture is to be 
compared with scripture. The student should learn 
to view the word as a whole, and to see the relation 
of its parts. He should gain a knowledge of its grand 
central theme, of God's original purpose for the world, 
of the rise of the great controversy, and of the work of 
redemption. He should understand the nature of the 
two principles that are contending for supremacy, and 
should learn to trace their working through the records 
of history and prophecy, to the great consummation, 
lie should see how this controversy enters into every 
phase of human experience; how in every act of life- 
he himself reveals the one or the other of the two 
antagonistic motives; and how, whether he will or not, 
he is even now deciding upon which side of the con- 
troversv he will be found. 



1 IN. [19: II; 17:4. 



Bible Teaching and Study 



191 



Daniel 
and the 
Revelation 



Every part of the Bible is given by inspiration of 
God, and is profitable-. The Old Testament no less 
than the New should receive attention. As we study 
the Old Testament, we shall find living springs bubbling 
up where the careless reader discerns only a desert. 

The book of Revelation, in connection with the 
book of Daniel, especially demands study. Let every 
God-fearing teacher consider how most clearly to com- 
prehend and to present the gospel that our Saviour 
came in person to make known to His servant John, — 
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto 
Him, to show unto His servants things which must 
shortly come to pass." 1 None should become dis- 
couraged in the study of the Revelation because of its 
apparently mystical symbols. " If any of you lack wis- 
dom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all liberally, and 
upbraideth not."' 2 

"Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the 
words of this prophecy, and keep those things which 
are written therein; for the time is at hand." 3 

When a real love for the Bible is awakened, and 
the student begins to realize how vast is the field and 
how precious its treasure, he will desire to seize upon 
every opportunity for acquainting himself with God's continuous 

it 1 -ii i -i • 1 • Study 

word. Its study will be restricted to no special time 
or place. And this continuous study is one of the best 
means of cultivating a love for the Scriptures. Let the 
student keep his Bible always with him. As you have 
opportunity, read a text and meditate upon it. While 
walking the streets, waiting at a railway station, wait- 
ing to meet an engagement, improve the opportunity to 
gain some precious thought from the treasure-house of 
truth. 



1 Rev. 1:1. 



'•'James i : 5. 



■> Rev. I : . 



192 The Bible as an Educator 

The great motive powers of the soul are faith, hope, 
and love; and it is to these that Bible study, rightly 
pursued, appeals. The outward beauty of the Bible, 
the beauty of imagery and expression, is but the set- 
ting, as it were, for its real treasure, — the beauty of 
holiness. In its record of the men who walked with 
God, we may catch glimpses of His glory. In the One 
"altogether lovely" we behold Him, of whom all beauty 
of earth and heaven is but a dim reflection. "I, if I 

Result* of , ' 

study be lifted up," He said, "will draw all men unto Me."' 
As the student of the Bible beholds the Redeemer, 
there is awakened in the soul the mysterious power of 
faith, adoration, and love. Upon the vision of Christ the 
gaze is fixed, and the beholder grows into the likeness 
of that which he adores. The words of the apostle 
Paul become the language of the soul: "I count all 
things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge 
of Christ Jesus my Lord; . . . that I may know 
Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellow- 
ship of His sufferings." 2 

The springs of heavenly peace and joy unsealed in 
the soul by the words of Inspiration will become a 
mighty river of influence to bless all who come within 
its reach. Let the youth of to-day, the youth who are 
growing up with the Bible in their hands, become the 
recipients and the channels of its life-giving energy, and 
what streams of blessing would flow forth to the world! 
— influences of whose power to heal and comfort we 
can scarcely conceive, — rivers of living water fountains 
"springing up unto everlasting life." 

1 John 12:52. * Phil. 3 : S-10. 



Streams of 
Blessing 



Physical Culture 



'■'Beloved, I wish above all things that thou 
mayest prosper and be in health, even as 
thy soul prospereth" 



Study of P kysiology 



I AM Y ■ K A K V V L L V AND 
WONDERFULLY MADE" 



G^INCE the mind and the soul find expression through 
^ the body, both mental and spiritual vigor are in 
great degree dependent upon physical strength and 
activity; whatever promotes physical health, promotes 
the development of a strong mind and a well-balanced 
character. Without health, no one can as distinctly 
understand or as completely fulfil his obligations to 
himself, to his fellow-beings, or to his Creator. There- 
fore the health should be as faithfully guarded as the 
character. A knowledge of physiology and hygiene 
should be the basis of all educational effort. 

Though the facts of physiology are now so gen- 
erally understood, there is an alarming indifference in 
regard to the principles of health. Even of those who 
have a knowledge of these principles, there are few who 
put them in practise. Inclination or impulse is followed 
as blindly as if life were controlled by mere chance 
rather than by definite and unvarying laws. 

The youth, in the freshness and vigor of life, little 
realize the value of their abounding energy. A treasure 
more precious than gold, more essential to advancement 
than learning or rank or riches, — how lightly it is held ! 
how rashly squandered ! How many a man, sacrificing 
health in the struggle for riches or power, has almost 

095) 



Importance 
of Physical 
Culture 



Disregard of 
Principles 



196 



Physical Culture 



Teaching 

Phvsiologv 



reached the object of his desire, only to fall helpless, 
while another, possessing superior physical endurance, 
.4 cause grasped the longed-for prize! Through morbid condi- 
tions, the result of neglecting the laws of health, how 
many have been led into evil practises, to the sacrifice of 
every hope for this world and the next! 

In the study of physiology, pupils should be led to 
see the value of physical energy, and how it can be so 
preserved and developed as to contribute in the highest 
degree to success in life's great struggle. 

Children should be early taught, in simple, easy 
lessons, the rudiments of physiology and hygiene. The 
work should be begun by the mother in the home, 
and should be faithfully carried forward in the school. 
As the pupils advance in years, instruction in this line 
should be continued, until they are qualified to care for 
the house they live in. They should understand the 
importance of guarding against disease by preserving 
the vigor of ever)' organ, and should also be taught 
how to deal with common diseases and accidents. 
Every school should give instruction in both physi- 
ology and hygiene, and, so far as possible, should be 
provided with facilities for illustrating the structure, use, 
and care of the body. 

There are matters not usually included in the study 
of physiology that should be considered, — matters of 
far greater value to the student than are many of the 
technicalities commonly taught under this head. As 
the foundation principle of all education in these lines, 
the youth should be taught that the laws of nature are 
the laws of God, — as truly divine as are the precepts 
of the decalogue. The laws that govern our physical 
organism, God has written upon every nerve, muscle, 



Xature's 
Laws Divine 



Study of Physiology 197 

and fiber of the body. Every careless or wilful viola- 
tion of these laws is a sin against our Creator. 

How necessary, then, that a thorough knowledge 
of these laws should be imparted! The principles of 
hygiene as applied to diet, exercise, the care of chil- 
dren, the treatment of the sick, and many like matters, 
should be given much more attention than they ordi- 
narily receive. 

The influence of the mind on the body, as well as influence 01 

the Mind 

of the body on the mind, should be emphasized. The on the Body 
electric power of the brain, promoted by mental activity, 
vitalizes the whole system, and is thus an invaluable aid 
in resisting disease. This should be made plain. The 
power of the will and the importance of self-control, 
both in the preservation and in the recovery of health, 
the depressing and even ruinous effect of anger, discon- 
tent, selfishness, or impurity, and, on the other hand, 
the marvelous life-giving power to be found in cheerful- 
ness, unselfishness, gratitude, should also be shown. 

There is a physiological truth — truth that we need to 
consider — in the scripture, "A merry [rejoicing] heart 
doeth good like a medicine." 

"Let thine heart keep My commandments," God Cheerfulness; 

Gratitude 

says; "for length of days, and years of life, and peace, 
shall they add to thee." "They are life unto those 
that find them, and health to all their flesh." " Pleas- 
ant words" the Scriptures declare to be not only "sweet 
to the soul," but "health to the bones." 1 

The youth need to understand the deep truth under- 
lying the Bible statement that with God "is the fountain 
of life." 2 Not only is He the originator of all, but 
He is the life of everything that lives. It is His life that 
we receive in the sunshine, in the pure, sweet air, in 

1 Prov 17:22; 3:1, 2, margin; 4:22; 16:24. - Ps. 36:9. 



T98 



Physical Culture 



Right 
Physical 

J I. n hits 



Position 



the food which builds up our bodies and sustains our 
strength. It is by His life that we exist, hour by hour, 
moment by moment. Except as perverted by sin, all 
His gifts tend to life, to health and joy. 

"He hath made everything beautiful in its time;" 
and true beauty will be secured, not in marring God's 
work, but in coming into harmony with the laws of 
Him who created all things, and who finds pleasure 
in their beauty and perfection. 

As the mechanism of the body is studied, attention 
should be directed to its wonderful adaptation of means 
to ends, the harmonious action and dependence of the 
various organs. As the interest of the student is thus 
awakened, and he is led to see the importance of 
physical culture, much can be done by the teacher to 
secure proper development and right habits. 

Among the first things to be aimed at should be a 
correct position, both in sitting and in standing. God 
made man upright, and He desires him to possess not 
only the physical but the mental and moral benefit, the 
grace and dignity and self-possession, the courage and 
self-reliance, which an erect bearing so greatly tends 
to promote. Let the teacher give instruction on this 
point by example and by precept. Show what a correct 
position is, and insist that it shall be maintained. 

Next in importance to right position are respiration 
and vocal culture. The one who sits and stands erect 
is more likely than others to breathe properly. But 
the teacher should impress upon his pupils the impor- 
tance of deep breathing. Show how the healthy action 
of the respiratory organs, assisting the circulation of the 
blood, invigorates the whole system, excites the appe- 
tite, promotes digestion, and induces sound, sweet sleep, 

1 Eccl. 3: ii, R V. 



Study of Physiology 



199 



thus not only refreshing the body, but soothing and 
tranquilizing the mind. And while the importance of 
deep breathing is shown, the practise should be insisted 
upon. Let exercises be given which will promote this, 
and see that the habit becomes established. 

The training of the voice has an important place in 
physical culture, since it tends to expand and strengthen 
the lungs, and thus to ward off disease. To insure 
correct delivery in reading and speaking, see that the 
abdominal muscles have full play in breathing, and that 
the respiratory organs are unrestricted. Let the strain 
come on the muscles of the abdomen, rather than on 
those of the throat. Great weariness and serious dis- 
ease of the throat and lungs may thus be prevented. 
Careful attention should be given to securing distinct 
articulation, smooth, well-modulated tones, and a not- 
too-rapid delivery. This will not only promote health, 
but will add greatly to the agreeableness and efficiency 
of the student's work. 

In teaching these things a golden opportunity is 
afforded for showing the folly and wickedness of tight- 
lacing, and every other practise that restricts vital action. 
An almost endless train of disease results from unhealth- 
ful modes of dress, and careful instruction on this point 
should be given. Impress upon the pupils the danger 
of allowing the clothing to weigh on the hips or to 
compress any organ of the body. The dress should be 
so arranged that a full respiration can be taken, and 
the arms be raised above the head without difficulty. 
The cramping of the lungs not only prevents their 
development, but hinders the processes of digestion 
and circulation, and thus weakens the whole body. 
All such practises lessen both physical and mental 



Training of 
the Voice 



Healthful 
Dress 



200 



Physical Culture 



power, thus hindering the student's advancement, and 
often preventing his success. 

In the study of hygiene the earnest teacher will 
improve every opportunity to show the necessity of 
perfect cleanliness both in personal habits and in all 
one's surroundings. The value of the daily bath in 
promoting health and in stimulating mental action, 
should be emphasized. Attention should be given 
also to sunlight and ventilation, the hygiene of the 
cleanliness, sleeping-room and the kitchen. Teach the pupils that 

Sunlight, r & . l l 

ventilation a healthful sleeping-room, a thoroughly clean kitchen, 
and a tastefully arranged, wholesomely supplied table, 
will go farther toward securing the happiness of the 
family and the regard of every sensible visitor than any 
amount of expensive furnishing in the drawing-room. 
That "the life is more than meat, and the body is 
more than raiment," 1 is a lesson no less needed now 
than when given by the divine Teacher eighteen hundred 
years ago. 

The student of physiology should be taught that 
the object of his study is not merely to gain a knowl- 
edge of facts and principles. This alone will prove of 
little benefit. He may understand the importance of 
ventilation; his room may be supplied with pure air; 

Knowledge \^ ut un \ ess ] ie fills his lungs properly, he will suffer 

Put to Use . . 

the results of imperfect respiration. So the necessity 
of cleanliness may be understood, and needful facilities 
may be supplied; but all will be without avail unless 
put to use. The great requisite in teaching these prin- 
ciples is to impress the pupil with their importance, 
so that he will conscientiously put them in practise. 

By a most beautiful and impressive figure, God's 
word shows the regard He places upon our physical 

1 Luke [2:2 ;. 



Study of Physiology 20: 

organism, and the responsibility resting on us to pre- 
serve it in the best condition: " Know ye not that your 
body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, 
which ye have from God? and ye are not your own." The Body 
"If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God Dweiung-pUc 
destroy; for the temple of God is hoi}', which temple 
ye are." 1 

Let pupils be impressed with the thought that the 
body is a temple in which God desires to dwell; that it 
must be kept pure, the abiding-place of high and noble 
thoughts. As in the study of physiology they see that 
they are indeed "fearfully and wonderfully made," 2 they 
will be inspired with reverence. Instead of marring 
God's handiwork, they will have an ambition to make 
all that is possible of themselves, in order to fulfil the 
Creator's glorious plan. Thus they will come to regard 
obedience to the laws of health, not as a matter of 
sacrifice or self-denial, but as it really is, an inestimable 
privilege and blessing. 

1 1 Cor. 6 : 19, R. V., margin ; 3 : 17. - Ps. 139 : 14. 



Te mp erance and D te tetics 



"EVERY MAN I11A1 STRIVETH 

FOR THE MASTE-RY IS TEMPERATE 
IN A I. I. THINGS" 



Plain Living; 

High 

Thinking- 



Prevention of 
Intemperance 



Tp VERY student needs to understand the relation 
-*— ' between plain living and high thinking. It rests 
with us individually to decide whether our lives shall 
be controlled by the mind or by the body. The youth 
must, each for himself, make the choice that shapes his 
life; and no pains should be spared that he may under- 
stand the forces with which he has to deal, and the 
influences which mould character and destiny. 

Intemperance is a foe against which all need to be 
guarded. The rapid increase of this terrible evil should 
arouse every lover of his race to warfare against it. 
The practise of giving instruction on temperance topics 
in the schools is a move in the right direction. In- 
struction in this line should be given in every school 
and in every home. The youth and children should 
understand the effect of alcohol, tobacco, and other like 
poisons, in breaking down the body, beclouding the 
mind, and sensualizing the soul. It should be made 
plain that no one who uses these things can long pos- 
sess the full strength of his physical, mental, or moral 
faculties. 

But in order to reach the root of intemperance we 
must go deeper than the use of alcohol or tobacco. 
Idleness, lack of aim, or evil associations, may be the 

(202) 



Temperance o)id Dietetics 



203 



predisposing cause. Often it is found at the home table, 
in families that account themselves strictly temperate. 
Anything that disorders digestion, that creates undue 
mental excitement, or in any way enfeebles the system, 
disturbing the balance of the mental and the physical 
powers, weakens the control of the mind over the body, 
and thus tends toward intemperance. The downfall of 
many a promising youth might be traced to unnatural 
appetites created by an unwholesome diet. 

Tea and coffee, condiments, confectionery, and pas- 
tries- are all active causes of indigestion. Flesh-food 
also is harmful. Its naturally stimulating effect should 
be a sufficient argument against its use; and the almost 
universally diseased condition of animals makes it doubly 
objectionable. It tends to irritate the nerves and to 
excite the passions, thus giving the balance of power 
to the lower propensities. 

Those who accustom themselves to a rich, stimu- 
lating diet, find after a time that the stomach is not 
satisfied with simple food. It demands that which is 
more and more highly seasoned, pungent, and stimu- 
lating. As the nerves become disordered and the 
system weakened, the will seems powerless to resist the 
unnatural craving. The delicate coating of the stomach 
becomes irritated and inflamed until the most stimulat- 
ing food fails of giving relief. A thirst is created that 
nothing but strong drink will quench. 

It is the beginnings of evil that should be guarded 
against. In the instruction of the youth the effect of 
apparently small deviations from the right should be 
made very plain. Let the student be taught the value 
of a simple, healthful diet in preventing the desire for 
unnatural stimulants. Let the habit of self-control be 



Causes of 
Intemperance 



Stimulating- 
Diet 



Self- Control 

the 

Safeguard 



204 



Physical Culture 



early established. Let the youth be impressed with 
the thought that they are to be masters, and not slaves. 
Of the kingdom within them God has made them 
rulers, and they are to exercise their Heaven-appointed 
kingship. When such instruction is faithfully given, 
the results will extend far beyond the youth themselves. 
Influences will reach out that will save thousands of men 
and women who are on the very brink of ruin. 



Diet and 

Mental 

Development 



Nutrient 

Value 

of Foods 



The relation of diet to intellectual development 
should be given far more attention than it has received. 
Mental confusion and dulness are often the result of 
errors in diet. 

It is frequently urged that, in the selection of food, 
appetite is a safe guide. If the laws of health had 
always been obeyed, this would be true. But through 
wrong habits, continued from generation to generation, 
appetite has become so perverted that it is constantly 
craving some hurtful gratification. As a guide it can 
not now be trusted. 

In the study of hygiene, students should be taught 
the nutrient value of different foods. The effect of a 
concentrated and stimulating diet, also of foods defi- 
cient in the elements of nutrition, should be made plain. 
Tea and coffee, fine-flour bread, pickles, coarse vege- 
tables, candies, condiments, and pastries fail of supplying 
proper nutriment. Many a student has broken down as 
the result of using such foods. Many a puny child, 
incapable of vigorous effort of mind or body, is the 
victim of an impoverished diet. Grains, fruits, nuts, 
and vegetables, in proper combination, contain all the 
elements of nutrition; and when properly prepared, 



Temperance and Dietetics 



205 



they constitute the diet that best promotes both physical 
and mental strength. 

There is need to consider not only the properties of 
the food but its adaptation to the eater. Often food 
that can be eaten freely by persons engaged in physical 
labor must be avoided by those whose work is chiefly 
mental. Attention should be given also to the proper 
combination of foods. By brain-workers and others of 
sedentary pursuits, but few kinds should be taken at a 
meal. 

And overeating, even of the most wholesome food, 
is to be guarded against. Nature can use no more 
than is required for building up the various organs of 
the body, and excess clogs the system. Many a stu- 
dent is supposed to have broken down from overstudy, 
when the real cause was overeating. While proper 
attention is given to the laws of health, there is little 
danger from mental taxation; but in many cases of 
so-called mental failure, it is the overcrowding of the 
stomach that wearies the body and weakens the mind. 

In most cases, two meals a day are preferable to 
three. Supper, when taken at an early hour, interferes 
with the digestion of the previous meal. When taken 
later, it is not itself digested before bedtime. Thus 
the stomach fails of securing proper rest. The sleep 
is disturbed, the brain and nerves are wearied, the 
appetite for breakfast is impaired, the whole system 
is unrefreshed, and is unready for the day's duties. 

The importance of regularity in the time for eating 
and sleeping should not be overlooked. Since the work 
of building up the body takes place during the hours of 
rest, it is essential, especially in youth, that sleep should 
be regular and abundant. 



Selection ; 
Combination 



Regularity 
in Eating 
and Sleeping 



206 



Physical Culture 



A Social 
Season 



So far as possible, we should avoid hurried eating. 
The shorter the time for a meal, the less should be 
eaten. It is better to omit a meal than to eat without 
proper mastication. 

Meal-time should be a season for social intercourse 
and refreshment. Everything that can burden or irri- 
tate should be banished. Let trust and kindliness and 
gratitude to the Giver of all good be cherished, and the 
conversation will be cheerful, a pleasant flow of thought 
that will uplift without wearying. 



Benefits of 
Temperance 



The observance of temperance and regularity in all 
things has a wonderful power. It will do more than 
circumstances or natural endowments in promoting that 
sweetness and serenity of disposition which count so 
much in smoothing life's pathway. At the same time 
the power of self-control thus acquired will be found 
one of the most valuable of equipments for grappling 
successfully with the stern duties and realities that 
await every human being. 

Wisdom's "ways are ways of pleasantness, and all 
her paths are peace." 1 Let every youth in our land, 
with the possibilities before him of a destiny higher 
than that of crowned kings, ponder the lesson con- 
veyed in the words of the wise man, "Blessed art 
thou, O land, when . . . thy princes eat in due 
season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!"'' 

1 Prov. 3:17. "Eccl. 10:17. 



Recreation 



"to everything there is 

A SEASON" 



'TWERE is a distinction between recreation and 
-* amusement. Recreation, when true to its name, 
re-creation, tends to strengthen and build up. Calling 
us aside from our ordinary cares and occupations, it 
affords refreshment for mind and body, and thus enables 
us to return with new vigor to the earnest work of life. 
Amusement, on the other hand, is sought for the sake 
of pleasure, and is often carried to excess; it absorbs 
the energies that are required for useful work, and thus 
proves a hindrance to life's true success. 

The whole body is designed for action; and unless 
the physical powers are kept in health by active exer- 
cise, the mental powers can not long be used to their 
highest capacity. The physical inaction which seems 
almost inevitable in the schoolroom — together with 
other unhealthful conditions — makes it a trying place 
for children, especially for those of feeble constitution. 
Often the ventilation is insufficient. Ill-formed seats 
encourage unnatural positions, thus cramping the action 
of the lungs and the heart. Here little children have 
to spend from three to five hours a day, breathing air 
that is laden with impurity and perhaps infected with 
the germs of disease. No wonder that in the school- 
room the foundation of lifelong illness is so often laid. 

(207) 



Recreation; 
Amusement 



Physical 
Inaction ; 
the Child 



208 



Physical Culture 



Outdoor Life 
for Children 



Physical 
Inaction; 

the Student 



The brain, the most delicate of all the physical organs, 
and that from which the nervous energy of the whole 
system is derived, suffers the greatest injur}'. By being 
forced into premature or excessive activity, and this 
under unhealthful conditions, it is enfeebled, and often 
the evil results are permanent. 

Children should not be long confined within doors, 
nor should they be required to apply themselves closely 
to study until a good foundation has been laid for phys- 
ical development. For the first eight or ten years of a 
child's life the field or garden is the best schoolroom, 
the mother the best teacher, nature the best lesson-book. 
Even when the child is old enough to attend school, 
his health should be regarded as of greater importance 
than a knowledge of books. He should be surrounded 
with the conditions most favorable to both physical and 
mental growth. 

The child is not alone in the danger from want of 
air and exercise. In the higher as well as the lower 
schools these essentials to health are still too often 
neglected. Many a student sits day after day in a 
close room bending over his books, his chest so con- 
tracted that he can not take a full, deep breath, his 
blood moving sluggishly, his feet cold, his head hot. 
The body not being sufficiently nourished, the muscles 
are weakened, and the whole system is enervated and 
diseased. Often such students become lifelong invalids. 
They might have come from school with increased 
physical as well as mental strength, had they pursued 
their studies under proper conditions, with regular exer- 
cise in the sunlight and the open air. 

The student who with limited time and means is 
struggling to gain an education should realize that time 



Recreation 209 

spent in physical exercise is not lost. He who continu- 
ally pores over his books will find, after a time, that the 
mind has lost its freshness. Those who give proper 
attention to physical development will make greater Mental Effect 
advancement in literary lines than they would if their 
entire time were devoted to study. 

By pursuing one line of thought exclusively, the 
mind often becomes unbalanced. But every faculty 
may be safely exercised if the mental and physical 
powers are equally taxed, and the subjects of thought 
are varied. 

Physical inaction lessens not only mental but moral 
power. The brain nerves that connect with the whole 
system are the medium through which heaven commu- • 
nicates with man, and affects the inmost life. Whatever Moral Effect 
hinders the circulation of the electric current in the 
nervous system, thus weakening the vital powers and 
lessening mental susceptibility, makes it more difficult 
to arouse the moral nature. 

Again, excessive study, by increasing the flow of 
blood to the brain, creates morbid excitability that tends 
to lessen the power of self-control, and too often gives 
sway to impulse or caprice. Thus the door is opened 
to impurity. The misuse or nonuse of the physical 
powers is largely responsible for the tide of corruption 
that is overspreading the world. "Pride, fulness of 
bread, and abundance of idleness," are as deadly foes 
to human progress in this generation as when they led 
to the destruction of Sodom. 

Teachers should understand these things, and should 
instruct their pupils in these lines. Teach the students 
that right living depends on right thinking, and that 
physical activity is essential to purity of thought. 



2IO 



Physical Culture 



Gymnastic 
Exercises 



Tendency of 
Sports 



Football 
and Boxing 



The question of suitable recreation for their pupils 
is one that teachers often find perplexing. Gymnastic 
exercises fill a useful place in many schools; but with- 
out careful supervision they are often carried to excess. 
In the gymnasium many youth, by their attempted feats 
of strength, have done themselves lifelong injury. 

Exercise in a gymnasium, however well conducted, 
can not supply the place of recreation in the open air, 
and for this our schools should afford better opportu- 
nity. Vigorous exercise the pupils must have. Few 
evils are more to be dreaded than indolence and aim- 
lessness. Yet the tendency of most athletic sports is 
a subject of anxious thought to those who have at heart 
the well-being of the youth. Teachers are troubled as 
they consider the influence of these sports both on the 
student's progress in school and on his success in after- 
life. The games that occupy so much of his time are 
diverting the mind from study. They are not helping 
to prepare the youth for practical, earnest work in 
life. Their influence does not tend toward refinement, 
generosity, or real manliness. 

Some of the most popular amusements, such as 
football and boxing, have become schools of brutality. 
They are developing the same characteristics as did the 
games of ancient Rome. The love of domination, the 
pride in mere brute force, the reckless disregard of life, 
are exerting upon the youth a power to demoralize 
that is appalling. 

Other athletic games, though not so brutalizing, 
are scarcely less objectionable, because of the excess 
to which they are carried. They stimulate the love of 
pleasure and excitement, thus fostering a distaste for 
useful labor, a disposition to shun practical duties and 



Recreation 



21 1 



responsibilities. They tend to destroy a relish for life's 
sober realities and its tranquil enjoyments. Thus the 
door is opened to dissipation and lawlessness, with their 
terrible results. 

As ordinarily conducted, parties of pleasure also 
are a hindrance to real growth, either of mind or 
of character. Frivolous associations, habits of extrava- 
gance, of pleasure-seeking, and too often of dissipation, 
are formed, that shape the whole life for evil. In place 
of such amusements, parents and teachers can do much 
to supply diversions wholesome and life-giving. 

In this, as in all things else that concern our well- 
being, Inspiration has pointed the way. In earl)' ages, 
with the people who were under God's direction, life 
was simple. They lived close to the heart of nature. 
Their children shared in the labor of the parents, and 
studied the beauties and mysteries of nature's treasure- 
house. And in the quiet of field and wood they pon- 
dered those mighty truths handed down as a sacred 
trust from generation to generation. Such training 
produced strong men. 

In this age, life has become artificial, and men have 
degenerated. While we may not return full)- to the 
simple habits of those early times, we may learn from 
them lessons that will make our seasons of recreation 
what the name implies, — seasons of true upbuilding for 
body and mind and soul. 

With the question of recreation the surroundings of 
the home and the school have much to do. In the 
choice of a home or the location of a school these things 
should be considered. Those with whom mental and 
physical well-being is of greater moment than money or 
the claims and customs of society, should seek for their 



Parties of 
I J Ieastire 



Simple 
II a hits in 
Earlier Ages 



212 



Ph vsical Culture 



Outdoor 
Occupations 



The 

Teacher's 

Co-operation 



children the benefit of nature's teaching, and recreation 
amidst her surroundings. It would be a great aid in 
educational work could every school be so situated as 
to afford the pupils land for cultivation, and access to 
the fields and woods. 

In lines of recreation for the student, the best results 
will be attained through the personal co-operation of the 
teacher. The true teacher can impart to his pupils few 
gifts so valuable as the gift of his own companionship. 
It is true of men and women, and how much more of 
youth and children, that only as we come in touch 
through sympathy can we understand them; and we 
need to understand in order most effectively to benefit. 
To strengthen the tie of sympathy between teacher and 
student there are few means that count so much as 
pleasant association together outside the schoolroom. 
In some schools the teacher is always with his pupils 
in their hours of recreation. He unites in their pur- 
suits, accompanies them in their excursions, and seems 
to make himself one with them. Well would it be for 
our schools were this practise more generally followed. 
The sacrifice demanded of the teacher would be great, 
but he would reap a rich reward. 

No recreation helpful only to themselves will prove 
so great a blessing to the children and youth as that 
which makes them helpful to others. Naturally enthu- 
siastic and impressible, the young are quick to respond 
to suggestion. In planning for the culture of plants, 
let the teacher seek to awaken an interest in beautifying 
the school-grounds and the schoolroom. A double 
benefit will result That which the pupils seek to 
beautify they will be unwilling to have marred or 
defaced. A refined taste, a love of order, and a habit 



Recreation 



213 



Encourage 
Helpfulness 



of care-taking will be encouraged; and the spirit of 
fellowship and co-operation developed will prove to 
the pupils a lifelong blessing. 

So also a new interest may be given to the work 
of the garden or the excursion in field or wood, as 
the pupils are encouraged to remember those shut in 
from these pleasant places, and to share with them 
the beautiful things of nature. 

The watchful teacher will find many opportunities 
for directing pupils to acts of helpfulness. By little 
children especially the teacher is regarded with almost 
unbounded confidence and respect. Whatever he may 
suggest as to ways of helping in the home, faith- 
fulness in the daily tasks, ministry to the sick or 
the poor, can hardly fail of bringing forth fruit. And 
thus again a double gain will be secured. The kindly 
suggestion will react upon its author. Gratitude and 
co-operation on the part of the parents will lighten the 
teacher's burden and brighten his path. 

Attention to recreation and physical culture will at 
times, no doubt, interrupt the regular routine of school A safeguard 

against Evil 

work; but the interruption will prove no real hindrance. 
In the invigoration of mind and body, the fostering of 
an unselfish spirit, and the binding together of pupil 
and teacher by the ties of common interest and friendly 
association, the expenditure of time and effort will be 
repaid a hundredfold. A blessed outlet will be afforded 
for that restless energy which is so often a source of 
danger to the young. As a safeguard against evil, the 
preoccupation of the mind with good is worth more 
than unnumbered barriers of law and discipline. 



Ma 1 1 u a I T rii in ing 



"study to work with your 

HUN II AN lis" 



A T the creation, labor was appointed as a blessing. 

-*-*• It meant development, power, happiness. The 

changed condition of the earth through the curse of 

sin has brought a change in the conditions of labor: 

Labor y e j- though now attended with anxiety, weariness, and 

a Blessing ...... 

pain, it is still a source of happiness and development. 
And it is a safeguard against temptation. Its disci- 
pline places a check on self-indulgence, and promotes 
industry, purity, and firmness. Thus it becomes a part 
of God's great plan for our recovery from the fall. 

The youth should be led to see the true dignity of 

labor. Show them that God is a constant worker. 

Dignity of j\\\ things in nature do their allotted work. Action 

Labor ° 

pervades the whole creation, and in order to fulfil our 
mission we too must be active. 

In our labor we are to be workers together with 
God. He gives us the earth and its treasures; but we 
must adapt them to our use and comfort. He causes 
the trees to grow ; but we prepare the timber and build 
the house. He has hidden in the earth the gold and 
silver, the iron and coal; but it is only through toil that 
we can obtain them. 

Show that, while God has created and constantly 
controls all things, He has endowed us with a power 
(214) 



Ma mi a I Tra i ft i ng 



215 



not wholly unlike His. To us has been given a degree 
of control over the forces of nature. As God called 
forth the earth in its beauty out of chaos, so we can 
bring order and beauty out of confusion. And though 
all things are now marred with evil, yet in our com- 
pleted work we feel a joy akin to His, when, looking 
on the fair earth, He pronounced it "very good." 

As a rule, the exercise most beneficial to the youth 
will be found in useful employment. The little child 
finds both diversion and development in play; and his 
sports should be such as to promote not only physical 
but mental and spiritual growth. As he gains strength 
and intelligence, the best recreation will be found in 
some line of effort that is useful. That which trains 
the hand to helpfulness, and teaches the young to bear 
their share of life's burdens, is most effective in pro- 
moting the growth of mind and character. 

The youth need to be taught that life means earnest 
work, responsibility, care-taking. They need a training 
that will make them practical, — men and women who 
can cope with emergencies. They should be taught 
that the discipline of systematic, well-regulated labor is 
essential, not only as a safeguard against the vicissitudes 
of life, but as an aid to all-round development. 

Notwithstanding all that has been said and written 
concerning the dignity of labor, the feeling prevails that 
it is degrading. Young men are anxious to become 
teachers, clerks, merchants, physicians, lawyers, or to 
occupy some other position that does not require phys- 
ical toil. Young women shun housework, and seek an 
education in other lines. These need to learn that no 
man or woman is degraded by honest toil. That which 
degrades is idleness and selfish dependence. Idleness 



Co- workers 
with God 



An Essential 
Discipline 



2l6 



Physical Culture 



Idleness 
Degrading 



Knowledge 

of Common 

Duties 



fosters self-indulgence, and the result is a life empty 
and barren, — a field inviting the growth of every evil.. 
"The earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft 
upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by 
whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God; but 
that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is 
nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned." 1 

Many of the branches of study that consume the 
student's time are not essential to usefulness or hap- 
piness; but it is essential for eveiy youth to have a 
thorough acquaintance with every-day duties. If need 
be, a young woman can dispense with a knowledge of 
French and algebra, or even of the piano; but it is 
indispensable that she learn to make good bread, to 
fashion neatly-fitting garments, and to perform effi- 
ciently the many duties that pertain to home-making. 

To the health and happiness of the whole family 
nothing is more vital than skill and intelligence on 
the part of the cook. By ill-prepared, unwholesome 
food she may hinder and even ruin both the adult's 
usefulness and the child's development. Or by provid- 
ing food adapted to the needs of the body, and at the 
same time inviting and palatable, she can accomplish 
as much in the right as otherwise she accomplishes in 
the wrong direction. So, in many ways, life's happi- 
ness is bound up with faithfulness in common duties. 

Since both men and women have a part in home- 
making, boys as well as girls should gain a knowledge 
of household duties. To make a bed and put a room 
in order, to wash dishes, to prepare a meal, to wash 
and repair his own clothing, is a training that need not 
make any boy less manly; it will make him happier 
and more useful. And if girls, in turn, could learn 

iHeb. 6:7. 8. 



Manual Training 



217 



to harness and drive a horse, and to use the saw and 
the hammer, as well as the rake and the hoe, they 
would be better fitted to meet the emergencies of life. 

Let the children and youth learn from the Bible 
how God has honored the work of the every-day toiler. 
Let them read of the "sons of the prophets," 1 students 
at school, who were building a house for themselves, 
and for whom a miracle was wrought to save from loss 
the ax that was borrowed. Let them read of Jesus the 
carpenter, and Paul fhe tent-maker, who with the toil of 
the craftsman linked the highest ministry, human and 
divine. Let them read of the lad whose five loaves 
were used by the Saviour in that wonderful miracle 
for the feeding of the multitude; of Dorcas the seam- 
stress, called back from death, that she might continue 
to make garments for the poor; of the wise woman de- 
scribed in the Proverbs, who "seeketh wool and flax, 
and worketh willingly with her hands;" who "giveth 
meat to her household, and their task to her maidens;" 
who "planteth a vineyard, . . . and strengthened! 
her arms;" who "stretcheth out her hand to the poor; 
yea, . . . reacheth forth her hands to the needy;" 
who "looketh well to the ways of her household, and 
eateth not the bread of idleness." - 

Of such a one, God says: "She shall be praised. 
Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own 
works praise her in the gates." 3 

For every child the first industrial school should be 
the home. And, so far as possible, facilities for manual 
training should be connected with every school. To a 
great degree such training would supply the place of 
the gymnasium, with the additional benefit of affording 
valuable discipline. 

*2 Kings 6 : 1-7. 2 Prov. 31 : 13. 15, R. V. : 31 : 16, 17, 20, 27. 3 Prov. 31 : 30, 31. 



Honor to 
the Toiler 



First 

Industrial 

School 



2 IS 



Physical Culture 



Schools lor 

Manual 

Training 



Learning a 
Trade 



Financial 
Outlay 



Manual training is deserving of far more attention 
than it has received. Schools should be established 
that, in addition to the highest mental and moral cul- 
ture, shall provide the best possible facilities for phys- 
ical development and industrial training. Instruction 
should be given in agriculture, manufactures, — covering 
as many as possible of the most useful trades, — also in 
household economy, healthful cooker)', sewing, hygienic 
dressmaking, the treatment of the sick, and kindred 
lines. Gardens, workshops, and treatment-rooms should 
be provided, and the work in every line should be under 
the direction of skilled instructors. 

The work should have a definite aim, and should 
be thorough. While every person needs some knowl- 
edge of different handicrafts, it is indispensable that he 
become proficient in at least one. Every youth, on 
leaving school, should have acquired a knowledge of 
some trade or occupation by which, if need be, he 
may earn a livelihood. 

The objection most often urged against industrial 
training in the schools is the large outlay involved. 
But the object to be gained is worthy of its cost. No 
other work committed to us is so important as the train- 
ing of the youth, and every outlay demanded for its 
right accomplishment is means well spent. 

Even from the view-point of financial results, the 
outlay required for manual training would prove the 
truest economy. Multitudes of our boys would thus 
be kept from the street-corner and the groggery; the 
expenditure for gardens, workshops, and baths would 
be more than met by the saving on hospitals and 
reformatories. And the youth themselves, trained to 
habits of industry, and skilled in lines of useful and 



Manual Training 



219 



productive labor, — who can estimate their value to 
society and to the nation? 

As a relaxation from study, occupations pursued in 
the open air, and affording exercise for the whole body, 
are the most beneficial. No line of manual training is 
of more value than agriculture. A greater effort should 
be made to create and to encourage an interest in agri- 
cultural pursuits. Let the teacher call attention to what 
the Bible saws about agriculture: that it was God's plan 
for man to till the earth; that the first man, the ruler of 
the whole world, was given a garden to cultivate; and 
that many of the world's greatest men, its real nobility, 
have been tillers of the soil. Show the opportunities in 
such a life. The wise man says, "The king himself is 
served by the field." 1 Of him who cultivates the soil 
the Bible declares, " His God doth instruct him to dis- 
cretion, and doth teach him." And again, "Whoso 
keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof." 2 He 
who earns his livelihood by agriculture escapes many 
temptations and enjoys unnumbered privileges and 
blessings denied to those whose work lies in the great 
cities. And in these days of mammoth trusts and 
business competition, there are few who enjoy so real 
an independence and so great certainty of fair return 
for their labor as does the tiller of the soil. 

In the study of agriculture, let pupils be given not 
only theory, but practise. While they learn what sci- 
ence can teach in regard to the nature and preparation 
of the soil, the value of different crops, and the best 
methods of production, let them put their knowledge to 
use. Let teachers share the work with the students, 
and show what results can be achieved through skilful, 
intelligent effort. Thus may be awakened a genuine 

JEccl. 5:9. 2 Isa. 28:26; Prov. 2; : 18. 



Agriculture 



The Teaching 
to be 
Practical 



2 20 



Physical Culture 



For the 
Unemployed 



Training for 
Professional - 
Men 



Benefit to 
the Physician 



interest, an ambition to do the work in the best possible 
manner. Such an ambition, together with the invigora- 
ting effect of exercise, sunshine, and pure air, will create 
a love for agricultural labor that with many youth will 
determine their choice of an occupation. Thus might 
be set on foot influences that would go far in turning the 
tide of migration which now sets so strongly toward the 
great cities. 

Thus also our schools could aid effectively in the 
disposition of the unemployed masses. Thousands of 
helpless and starving beings, whose numbers are daily 
swelling the ranks of the criminal classes, might achieve 
self-support in a happy, healthy, independent life if they 
could be directed in skilful, diligent labor in the tilling 
of the soil. 

The benefit of manual training is needed also by 
professional men. A man may have a brilliant mind; 
he may be quick to catch ideas; his knowledge and 
skill may secure for him admission to his chosen calling; 
yet he may still be far from possessing a fitness for its 
duties. An education derived chiefly from books leads 
to superficial thinking. Practical work encourages close 
observation and independent thought. Rightly per- 
formed, it tends to develop that practical wisdom which 
we call common sense. It develops ability to plan and 
execute, strengthens courage and perseverance, and calls 
for the exercise of tact and skill. 

The physician who has laid a foundation for his pro- 
fessional knowledge by actual service in the sick-room 
will have a quickness of insight, an all-round knowl- 
edge, and an ability in emergencies to render needed 
service, — all essential qualifications, which only a prac- 
tical training can so fully impart. 



i Ma a u a I T> a i Ti i rig 



The minister, the missionary, the teacher, will find 
their influence with the people greatly increased when 
it is manifest that they possess the knowledge and skill 
required for the practical duties of every -day life. And 
often the success, perhaps the very life, of the mission- 
ary, depends on his knowledge of practical things. The 
ability to prepare food, to deal with accidents and emer- 
gencies, to treat disease, to build a house, or a church 
if need be, — often these make all the difference between 
success and failure in his life-work. 

In acquiring an education, man)' students would 
gain a most valuable training if they would become 
self-sustaining. Instead of incurring debts, or depend- 
ing on the self-denial of their parents, let young men 
and young women depend on. themselves. The)' will 
thus learn the value of money, the value of time, 
strength, and opportunities, and will be under far less 
temptation to indulge idle and spendthrift habits. The 
lessons of economy, industry, self-denial, practical busi- 
ness management, and steadfastness of purpose, thus 
mastered, would prove a most important part of their 
equipment for the battle of life. And the lesson of 
self-help learned by the student would go far toward 
preserving institutions of learning from the burden 
of debt under which so many schools have struggled, 
and which has done so much toward crippling their 
usefulness. 

Let the youth be impressed with the thought that 
education is not to teach them how to escape life's 
disagreeable tasks and heavy burdens; that its purpose 
is to lighten the work by teaching better methods and 
higher aims. Teach them that life's true aim is not 
to secure the greatest possible gain for themselves, but 



To Minister, 

Missionary, 
Teacher 



Students 
Self-Sustaining 



222 



Physical Culture 



Accuracy 

and 

Thoroughness 



Masters 
of L,ahor 



to honor their Maker in doing their part of the world's 
work, and lending a helpful hand to those weaker or- 
more ignorant. 

One great reason why physical toil is looked down 
on is the slipshod, unthinking way in which it is so 
often performed. It is clone from necessity, not from 
choice. The worker puts no heart into it, and he 
neither preserves self-respect nor wins the respect of 
others. Manual training should correct this error. It 
should develop habits of accuracy and thoroughness. 
Pupils should learn tact and system; the}' should learn 
to economize time, and to make every move count. 
They should not only be taught the best methods, 
but be inspired with ambition constantly to improve 
Let it be their aim to make their work as nearly 
perfect as human brains and hands can make it. 

Such training will make the youth masters and not 
slaves of labor. It will lighten the lot of the hard 
toiler, and will ennoble even the humblest occupation. 
He who regards work as mere drudgeiy, and settles 
down to it with self-complacent ignorance, making no 
effort to improve, will find it indeed a burden. But 
those who recognize science in the humblest work will 
see in it nobility and beaut}-, and will take pleasure in 
performing it with faithfulness and efficiency. 

A youth so trained, whatever his calling in life, so 
long as it is honest, will make his position one of 
usefulness and honor. 



Char a c ter-B uil d ing 



"See that f/ion make all things according to 
the pattern, showed to thee in the mount" 



Education and Character 



"the stability of thy 
times shall be wisdom and 
knowledge" 



r I^RUE education does not ignore the value of scien- 
-*- tific knowledge or literary acquirements; but above 
information it values power; above power, goodness; character 

\ L ' ° the Highest 

above intellectual acquirements, character. The world Aim 
does not so much need men of great intellect as of 
noble character. It needs men in whom ability is con- 
trolled by steadfast principle. 

"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get 
wisdom." "The tongue of the wise useth knowledge 
aright." 1 True education imparts this wisdom. It 
teaches the best use not only of one but of all our 
powers and acquirements. Thus it covers the whole 
circle of obligation, — to ourselves, to the world, and 
to God. 

Character-building is the most important work ever 
entrusted to human beings; and never before was its 
diligent study so important as now. Never was any outlook for 

the Youth 

previous generation called to meet issues so momentous; 
never before were young men and young women con- 
fronted by perils so great as confront them to-day. 

At such a time as this, what is the trend of the 
education given? To what motive is appeal most often 
made? — To self-seeking. Much of the education given 
is a perversion of the name. In true education the 

1 Prov. 4:7; 15:2. (225) 

•5 



226 



Character- Building 



Perils in 
the Schools 



Rivalry 



Pagan 
Authors 



selfish ambition, the greed for power, the disregard for 
the rights and needs of humanity, that are the curse of 
our world, find a counter-influence. God's plan of life 
has a place for every human being. Each is to improve 
his talents to the utmost; and faithfulness in doing this, 
be the gifts few or many, entitles one to honor. In 
God's plan there is no place for selfish rivalry. Those 
who "measure themselves by themselves, and compare 
themselves among themselves, are not wise." What- 
ever we do is to be done "as of the ability which God 
giveth." It is to be done "heartily, as to the Lord, 
and not unto men ; knowing that of the Lord ye shall 
receive the reward of the inheritance; for ye serve the 
Lord Christ." 1 Precious the service done and the edu- 
cation gained in carrying out these principles. But how 
widely different is much of the education now given! 
From the child's earliest years it is an appeal to emula- 
tion and rivalry; it fosters selfishness, the root of all evil. 

Thus is created strife for supremacy; and there is 
encouraged the system of "cramming," which in so 
many cases destroys health and unfits for usefulness. 
In many others, emulation leads to dishonesty ; and by 
fostering ambition and discontent, it embitters the life, 
and helps to fill the world with those restless, turbu- 
lent spirits that are a continual menace to society. 

Nor does danger pertain to methods only. It is 
found also in the subject-matter of the studies. 

What are the works on which, throughout the most 
susceptible years of life, the minds of the youth are led 
to dwell? In the study of language and literature, from 
what fountains are the youth taught to drink? — From 
the wells of paganism; from springs fed by the cor- 
ruptions of ancient heathendom. They are bidden to 

1 2 Cor. io : 12; i Peter 4:11; Col. 3:23, 24. 



Education and Character 



227 



study authors, of whom, without dispute, it is declared 
that they have no regard for the principles of morality. 

And of how many modern authors also might the 
same be said ! With how many are grace and beauty 
of language but a disguise for principles that in their 
real deformity would repel the reader! 

Besides these there is a multitude of fiction-writers, 
luring to pleasant dreams in palaces of ease. These 
writers may not be open to the charge of immorality, 
yet their work is no less really fraught with evil. It 
is robbing thousands upon thousands of the time and 
energy and self-discipline demanded by the stern prob- 
lems of life. 

In the study of science, as generally pursued, there 
are dangers equally great. Evolution and its kindred 
errors are taught in schools of every grade, from the 
kindergarten to the college. Thus the study of science, 
which should impart a knowledge of God, is so mingled 
with the speculations and theories of men that it tends 
to infidelity. 

Even Bible study, as too often conducted in the 
schools, is robbing the world of the priceless treasure 
of the word of God. The work of "higher criticism," 
in dissecting, conjecturing, reconstructing, is destroying 
faith in the Bible as a divine revelation; it is robbing 
God's word of power to control, uplift, and inspire 
human lives. 

As the youth go out into the world, to encounter 
its allurements to sin, — the passion for money-getting, 
for amusement and indulgence, for display, luxury, and 
extravagance, the overreaching, fraud, robbery, and ruin, 
— what are the teachings there to be met? 

Spiritualism asserts that men are unfallen demigods; 



False Science 



"Higher 
Criticism ' 



I'erils in 
the World 



Ft i unci at ion 
• i Character 



228 Character- Building 

that "each mind will judge itself;" that "true knowl- 
edge places men above all law;" that "all sins com- 
mitted are innocent;" for "whatever is, is right," and 
"God doth not condemn." The basest of human be- 
ings it represents as in heaven, and highly exalted there. 
Thus it declares to all men, "It matters not what you 
do; live as you please, heaven is your home." Multi- 
tudes are thus led to believe that desire is the highest 
law, that license is liberty, and that man is accountable 
only to himself. 

With such teaching given at the very outset of life, 
when impulse is . strongest, and the demand for self- 
restraint and purity is most urgent, where are the safe- 
guards of virtue? what is to prevent the world from 
becoming a second Sodom? 

At the same time anarchy is seeking to sweep away 
all law, not only divine, but human. The centralizing 
of wealth and power; the vast combinations for the 
enriching of the few at the expense of the many; the 
combinations of the poorer classes for the defense of 
their interests and claims; the spirit of unrest, of riot 
and bloodshed; the world-wide dissemination of the 
same teachings that led to the French Revolution, — 
all are tending to involve the whole world in a struggle 
similar to that which convulsed France. 

Such are the influences to be met by the youth of 
to-day. To stand amidst such upheavals they are now 
to lay the foundations of character. 

In every generation and in every land the true foun- 
dation and pattern for character-building have been the 
same. The divine law, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy 
God with all thy heart, . . . and thy neighbor 
as thyself," 1 the great principle made manifest in the 

1 Luke 10 : 27. 



meats 



Education and Character 229 

character and life of our Saviour, is the only secure 
foundation and the only sure guide. 

"The stability of thy times and the strength of 
thy happiness shall be wisdom and knowledge," 1 — 
that wisdom and knowledge which God's word alone 
can impart. 

It is as true now as when the words were spoken Gods 

■ Command- 

tO Israel of obedience to His commandments: " This is 

your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of 

the nations." 2 

Here is the only safeguard for individual integrity, 

for the purity of the home, the well-being of society, or 

the stability of the nation. Amidst all life's perplexities 

and dangers and conflicting claims, the one safe and 

sure rule is to do what God says. "The statutes of 

the Lord are right," and "he that doeth these things 

shall never be moved. " s 

Hsa. 33:6, Leeser's Translation. 2 Deut. 4:6. 3 Ps. 19:8; 15:5. 



Met h o ds of Teachi ng 



"TO G 1 V K PRUDENCE TO THE 
SIMPLE, TO THE VOUNG MAN 
KNOWLEDGE AND DISCRETION 1 



XI em or r 
Training 



Inability to 
Discriminate 



Tp OR ages education has had to do chiefly with the 
-* memory. This faculty has been taxed to the 
utmost, while the ' other mental powers have not been 
correspondingly developed. Students have spent their 
time in laboriously crowding the mind with knowledge, 
very little of which could be utilized. The mind thus 
burdened with that which it can not digest and assimi- 
late is weakened; it becomes incapable of vigorous, self- 
reliant effort, and is content to depend on the judgment 
and perception of others. 

Seeing the evils of this method, some have gone 
to another extreme. In their view, man needs only 
to develop that which is within him. Such education 
leads the student to self-sufficiency, thus cutting him off 
from the source of true knowledge and power. 

The education that consists in the training of the 
memory, tending to discourage independent thought, 
has a moral bearing which is too little appreciated. As 
the student sacrifices the power to reason and judge for 
himself, he becomes incapable of discriminating between 
truth and error, and falls an easy prey to deception. 
He is easily led to follow tradition and custom. 

It is a fact widely ignored, though never without 
(330) 



Methods of Teaching 



231 



danger, that error rarely appears for what it really is. 
It is by mingling with or attaching itself to truth that 
it gains acceptance. The eating of the tree of knowl- 
edge of good and evil caused the ruin of our first 
parents, and the acceptance of a mingling of good and 
evil is the ruin of men and women to-day. The mind 
that depends upon the judgment of others is certain, 
sooner or later, to be misled. 

The power to discriminate between right and wrong 
we can possess only through individual dependence upon 
God. Each for himself is to learn from Him through 
His word. Our reasoning powers were given us for 
use, and God desires them to be exercised. "Come 
now, and let us reason together," 1 He invites us. In 
reliance upon Him we may have wisdom to "refuse 
the evil, and choose the good." 2 

In all true teaching the personal element is essential. 
Christ in His teaching dealt with men individually. It 
was by personal contact and association that He trained 
the twelve. It was in private, often to but one listener, 
that He gave His most precious instruction. To the 
honored rabbi at the night conference on the Mount of 
Olives, to the despised woman at the well of Sychar, 
He opened His richest treasures; for in these hearers 
He discerned the impressible heart, the open mind, 
the receptive spirit. Even the crowd that so often 
thronged His steps was not to Christ an indiscriminate 
mass of human beings. He spoke directly to every 
mind and appealed to every heart. He- watched the 
faces of His hearers, marked the lighting up of the 
countenance, the quick, responsive glance, which told 
that truth had reached the soul; and there vibrated in 
His heart the answering chord of sympathetic joy. 



Reason and 
Faith 



Individual 
Development 



1 Isa. : : 18. 



2 James 1:5; Isa. 7: 15. 



A Present 
Need 



232 Character- Building 

Christ discerned the possibilities in every human 
being. He was not turned aside by an unpromising 
exterior or by unfavorable surroundings. He called 
Matthew from the toll-booth, and Peter and his brethren 
from the fishing boat, to learn of Him. 

The same personal interest, the same attention to 
individual development, are needed in educational work 
to-day. Many apparently unpromising youth are richly 
endowed with talents that are put to no use. Their 
faculties lie hidden because of a lack of discernment 
on the part of their educators. In many a boy or 
girl outwardly as unattractive as a rough-hewn stone, 
may be found precious material that will stand the test 
of heat and storm and pressure. The true educator, 
keeping in view what his pupils may become, Avill rec- 
ognize the value of the material upon which he is 
working. He will take a personal interest in each 
pupil, and will seek to develop all his powers. How- 
ever imperfect, every effort to conform to right prin- 
ciples will be encouraged. ' 

Every youth should be taught the necessity and the 
Application power of application. Upon this, far more than upon 
genius or talent, does success depend. Without appli- 
cation the most brilliant talents avail little, while with 
rightly directed effort persons of very ordinary natural 
abilities have accomplished wonders. And genius, at 
whose achievements we marvel, is almost invariably 
united with untiring, concentrated effort. 

The youth should be taught to aim at the develop- 
ment of all their faculties, the weaker as well as the 
stronger. With many there is a disposition to restrict 
their study to certain lines, for which they have a 
natural liking. This error should be guarded against. 



Methods of Teaching 



233 



The natural aptitudes indicate the direction of the life- 
work, and, when legitimate, should be carefully culti- 
vated. At the same time it must be kept in mind 
that a well-balanced character and efficient work in 
any line depend, to a great degree, on that symmetrical 
development which is the result of thorough, all-round 
training. 

The teacher should constantly aim at simplicity 
and effectiveness. He should teach largely by illus- 
tration, and even in dealing with older pupils should 
be careful to make every explanation plain and clear. 
Many pupils well advanced in years are but children 
in understanding. 

An important element in educational work is enthu- 
siasm. On this point there is a useful suggestion in a 
remark once made by a celebrated actor. The Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury had put to him the question why 
actors in a play affect their audiences so powerfully by 
speaking of things imaginary, while ministers of the 
gospel often affect theirs so little by speaking of things 
real. "With due submission to your grace," replied 
the actqr, "permit me to say that the reason is plain: 
it lies in the power of enthusiasm. We on the stage 
speak of things imaginary as if they were real, and 
you in the pulpit speak of things real as if they were 
imaginary." 

The teacher in his work is dealing with things real, 
and he should speak of them with all the force and 
enthusiasm which a knowledge of their reality and 
importance can inspire. 

Every teacher should see to it that his work tends 
to definite results. Before attempting to teach a sub- 
ject, he should have a distinct plan in mind, and should 



Simplicity 



Enthusiasm 



234 Ch a ra cier- B it ?'/di?ig 

know just what he desires to accomplish. He should 
not rest satisfied with the presentation of any subject 
until the student understands the principle involved, 
perceives its truth, and is able to state clearly what 
he has learned. 

So long as the great purpose of education is kept 
Mastery of j n v j ew the youth should be encouraged to advance 

Fundamentals ° 

just as far as their capabilities will permit. But before 
taking up the higher branches of study, let them master 
the lower. This is too often neglected. Even among 
students in the higher schools and the colleges, there is 
great deficiency in knowledge of the common branches 
of education. Many students devote their time to 
higher mathematics, when they are incapable of keep- 
ing simple accounts. Many study elocution with a 
view to acquiring the graces of oratory, when they are 
unable to read in an intelligible and impressive manner. 
Many who have finished the study of rhetoric fail in 
the composition and spelling of an ordinary letter. 

A thorough knowledge of the essentials of educa- 
tion should be not only the condition of admission to 
a higher course, but the constant test for continuance 
and advancement. 

And in every branch of education there are objects 
Language [ De gained more important than those secured by 
mere technical knowledge. Take language, for example. 
More important than the acquirement of foreign lan- 
guages, living or dead, is the ability to write and speak 
one's mother-tongue with ease and accuracy; but no 
training gained through a knowledge of grammatical 
rules can compare in importance with the study of lan- 
guage from a higher point of view. With this study, to 
a great degree, is bound up life's weal or woe. 



Methods of Teaching 



235 



The chief requisite of language is that it be pure 
and kind and true, — "the outward expression of an 
inward grace." God says: "Whatsoever things are 
true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things 
are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things 
are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if 
there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think 
on these things." 1 And if such are the thoughts, such 
will be the expression. 

The best school for this language-study is the home; 
but since the work of the home is so often neglected, it 
devolves on the teacher to aid his pupils in forming 
right habits of speech. 

The teacher can do much to discourage that evil 
habit, the cur6e of the community, the neighborhood, 
and the home, — the habit of backbiting, gossip, ungen- 
erous criticism. In this no pains should be spared. 
Impress upon the students the fact that this habit 
reveals a lack of culture and refinement and of true 
goodness of heart; it unfits one both for the society 
of the truly cultured and refined in this world and for 
association with the holy ones of heaven. 

We think with horror of the cannibal who feasts 
on the still warm and trembling flesh of his victim; but 
are the results of even this practise more terrible than 
are the agony and ruin caused by misrepresenting 
motive, blackening reputation, dissecting character? 
Let the children, and the youth as well, learn what 
God says about these things : — 

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue."* 

In Scripture, backbiters are classed with "haters of 
God," with "inventors of evil things," with those who 
are "without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful," 



The Chief 
Requisite 



Habits 
of Speech 



Gossip; 
Cannibalism 



1 Phil. 4 :8. 



2 Prov. 18 : 21. 



2^6 



C/i a racier- Bu tiding 



Expletive, 
Exaggeration 



Innuendo 



Hasty Speeeli 



"full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity." It 
is "the judgment of God, that they which commit such 
things are worthy of death." 1 He whom God accounts 
a citizen of Zion is he that "speaketh the truth in his 
heart;" "that backbiteth not with his tongue," "nor 
taketh up a reproach against his neighbor."" 

God's word condemns also the use of those mean- 
ingless phrases and expletives that border on profanity. 
It condemns the deceptive compliments, the evasions of 
truth, the exaggerations, the misrepresentations in trade, 
that are current in society and in the business world. 
"Let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; and what- 
soever is more than these is of the evil one." 3 

"As a madman who casteth firebrands, arrows, and 
death, so is the man that deceiveth his neighbor, and 
saith, Am not I in sport?" 4 

Closely allied to gossip is the covert insinuation, 
the sly innuendo, by which the unclean in heart seek- 
to insinuate the evil they dare not openly express. 
Kvery approach to these practises the youth should be. 
taught to shun as they would shun the leprosy. 

In the use of language there is perhaps no error 
that old and young are more ready to pass over lightly 
in themselves than hasty, impatient speech. They 
think it a sufficient excuse to plead, " I was off my 
guard, and did not really mean what I said." But 
God's word does not treat it lightly. The Scripture 
says : — - 

"Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there 
is more hope of a fool than of him." 5 

"He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a 
city that is broken down, and without walls." 6 

In one moment, by the hasty, passionate, careless 



1 Rom. I : 30, 31, 29, 32. 
4 Prov. 26: 18, 19. 



2 Ps. 15 : 2, 3. 3 Matt. 5 : 37, R. V. 

5 Prov, 29:20. 6 Prov. 25:28. 



Me thods of Tea c h in g 



237 



Cherish Self-' 
For set fa hies s 



tongue, may be wrought evil that a whole lifetime's 
repentance can not undo. Oh, the hearts that are 
broken, the friends estranged, the lives wrecked, by 
the harsh, hasty words of those who might have 
brought help and healing! 

"There is that speaketh like the piercings of a 
sword; but the tongue of the wise is health." 1 

One of the characteristics that should be especially 
cherished, and cultivated in every child is that self- 
forgetfulness which imparts to the life such an uncon- 
scious grace. Of all excellences of character this is 
one of the most beautiful, and for every true life-work 
it is one of the qualifications most essential. 

Children need appreciation, sympathy, and encour- 
agement, but care should be taken not to foster in 
them a love of praise. It is not wise to give them 
special notice, or to repeat before them their clever 
sayings. The parent or teacher who keeps in view the 
true ideal of character and the possibilities of achieve- 
ment, can not cherish or encourage self-sufficiency. 
He will not encourage in the youth the desire or 
effort to display their ability or proficiency. He who 
looks higher than himself will be humble; yet he will Humility- 
possess a dignity that is not abashed or disconcerted 
by outward display or human greatness. 

It is not by arbitrary law or rule that the graces 
of character are developed. It is by dwelling in the 
atmosphere of the pure, the noble, the true. And 
wherever there is purity of heart and nobleness of 
character, it will be revealed in purity and nobleness 
of action and of speech. 

"He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace 
of his lips the King shall be his friend." 2 



Digaitv 



1 Prov. 12:18. 



2 Prov. 22 : II. 



2 3 8 



Character- Building 



From the 

Divine Point 

of View 



As with language, so with every other study; it 
may be so conducted that it will tend to the strength- 
ening and upbuilding of character. 

Of no study is this true to a greater degree than of 
history. Let it be considered from the divine point 
of view. 

As too often taught, history is little more than a 
record of the rise and fall of kings, the intrigues of 
courts, the victories and defeats of armies, — a story of 
ambition and greed, of deception, cruelty, and blood- 
shed. Thus taught, its results can not but be detri- 
mental. The heart-sickening reiteration of crimes and 
atrocities, the enormities, the cruelties portrayed, plant 
seeds that in many lives bring forth fruit in a harvest 
of evil. 

Far better is it to learn, in the light of God's word, 
the causes that govern the rise and fall of kingdoms. 
Let the youth study these records, and see how the 
true prosperity of nations has been bound up with an 
acceptance of the divine principles. Let him study the 
history of the great reformatory movements, and see 
how often these principles, though despised and hated, 
their advocates brought to the dungeon and the scaf- 
fold, have through these veiy sacrifices triumphed. 

Such study will give broad, comprehensive views of 
life. It will help the youth to understand something 
of its relations and dependencies, how wonderfully we 
are bound together in the great brotherhood of society 
and nations, and to how great an extent the oppression 
or degradation of one member means loss to all. 

In the study of figures the work should be made 
practical. Let eveiy youth and every child be taught, 
not merely to solve imaginary problems, but to keep 



Methods of Teaching 239 

an accurate account of his own income and outgoes. 
Let him learn the right use of money by using it. 
Whether supplied by their parents or by their own Accounts 
earnings, let boys and girls learn to select and pur- 
chase their own clothing, their books, and other neces- 
sities; and by keeping an account of their expenses . 
they will learn, as they could learn in no other way, 
the value and the use of money. This training will 
help them to distinguish true economy from niggardli- 
ness on the one hand and prodigality on the other. 
Rightly directed it will encourage habits of benevo- 
lence. It will aid the youth in learning to give, not A useful 

.. Training' 

from the mere impulse of the moment, as their feeiings 
are stirred, but regularly and systematically. 

In this way every study may become an aid in the 
solution of that greatest of all problems, the training 
of men and women for the best discharge of life's 
responsibilities. 



Deportment 



Utiles of 
Etiquette 



"love doth not behave 
itself unseemly" 



'T^HE value of courtesy is too little appreciated. 
-* Many who are kind at heart lack kindliness of 
manner. Many who command respect by their sin- 
cerity and uprightness are sadly deficient in geniality. 
This lack mars their own happiness, and detracts from 
their service to others. Many of life's sweetest and 
most helpful experiences are, often for mere want of 
thought, sacrificed by the uncourteous. 

Cheerfulness and courtesy should especially be cul- 
tivated by parents and teachers. All may possess a 
cheerful countenance, a gentle- voice, a courteous man- 
ner, and these are elements of power. Children are 
attracted by a cheerful, sunny demeanor. Show them 
kindness and courtesy, and they will manifest the same 
spirit toward you and toward one another. 

True courtesy is not learned by the mere practise 
of rules of etiquette. Propriety of deportment is at all 
times to be observed; wherever principle is not compro- 
mised, consideration of others will lead to compliance 
with accepted customs; but true courtesy requires no 
sacrifice of principle to conventionality. It ignores 
caste. It teaches self-respect, respect for the dignity 
of man as man, a regard for every member of the 
great human brotherhood. 
(240) 



Deportment 



241 



There is danger of placing too high a value upon 
mere manner and form, and devoting too much time to 
education in these lines. The life of strenuous effort 
demanded of every youth, the hard, often uncongenial 
work required even for life's ordinary duties, and much 
more for lightening the world's heavy burden of igno- 
rance and wretchedness, — these give little place for 
conventionalities. 

Many who lay great stress upon etiquette show little 
respect for anything, however excellent, that fails of 
meeting their artificial standard. This is false education. 
It fosters critical pride and narrow exclusiveness. 

The essence of true politeness is consideration for 
others. The essential, enduring education is that which 
broadens the sympathies and encourages universal kind- 
liness. That so-called culture which does not make a 
youth deferential toward his parents, appreciative of 
their excellences, forbearing toward their defects, and 
helpful to their necessities; which does not make him 
considerate and tender, generous and helpful toward 
the young, the old, and the unfortunate, and courteous 
toward all, is a failure. 

Real refinement of thought and manner is better 
learned in the school of the divine Teacher than by 
any observance of set rules. His love pervading the 
heart gives to the character those refining touches that 
fashion it in the semblance of His own. This education 
imparts a heaven-born dignity and sense of propriety. 
It gives a sweetness of disposition and a gentleness of 
manner that can never be equaled by the superficial 
polish of fashionable society. 

The Bible enjoins courtesy, and it presents many 
illustrations of the unselfish spirit, the gentle grace, 
16 



Overes tim a ting 
Convention- 
alities 



Consider a Hon 
for Others 



242 



Character- Building 



Best Treatise 
on Etiquette 



the winsome temper, that characterize true politeness. 
These are but reflections of the character of Christ. 
All the real tenderness and courtesy in the world, even 
among those who do not acknowledge His name, is 
from Him. And He desires these characteristics to be 
perfectly reflected in His children. It is His purpose 
that in us men shall behold His beauty. 

The most valuable treatise on etiquette ever penned 
is the precious instruction given by the Saviour, with the 
utterance of the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul, — 
words that should be ineffaceably written in the memory 
of every human being, young or old: — 

"As I have loved you, that ye also love one 
another." 1 



Reverence 



" Love suffereth long, and is kind ; 

Love envieth not ; 

Love vaunteth not itself, 

Is not puffed up, 
Doth not behave itself unseemly, 

Seeketh not its own, 

Is not provoked, 

Taketh not account of evil ; 
Rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, 
But rejoiceth with the truth ; 

Beareth all things, 

Believeth all things, 

Hopeth all things, 

Endureth all things. 
Love never faileth." 2 

Another precious grace that should be carefully 
cherished is reverence. True reverence for God is 
inspired by a sense of His infinite greatness and a 
realization of His presence. With this sense of the 
Unseen the heart of every child should be deeply 
impressed. The hour and place of prayer and the 

1 John 13:34. "i Cor. 13:4-8, R- V. 



Deportment 



243 



services of public worship the child should be taught 
to regard as sacred because God is there. And as 
reverence is manifested in attitude and demeanor, the 
feeling that inspires it will be deepened. 

Well would it be for young and old to study and 
ponder and often repeat those words of Holy Writ 
that show how the place marked by God's special 
presence should be regarded. 

"Put off thy shoes from off thy feet," He com- 
manded Moses at the burning bush; "for the place 
whereon thou standest is holy ground." 1 

Jacob, after beholding the vision of the angels, 
exclaimed, "The Lord is in this place; and I knew it 
not. . . . This is none other but the house of 
God, and this is the gate of heaven." 2 

"The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth 
keep silence before Him." 3 



Vor God's 
Presence 



"The Lord is a great God, 

And a great King above all gods. . . . 

O come, let us worship and bow down; 

Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker." 
" It is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves ; 

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. 

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, 

And into His courts with praise; 

Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name." 4 



Reverence should be shown also for the name of 
God. Never should that name be spoken lightly or 
thoughtlessly. Even in prayer its frequent or needless 
repetition should be avoided. "Holy and reverend is 
His name." 5 Angels, as they speak it, veil their faces. 
With what reverence should we, who are fallen and 
sinful, take it upon our lips! 



1E> 



i : 5. 2 Gen. 28 : 16, 17. 

' Ps. 95:3-6; 100:3, 4. 



3 Hab. 2 : 20. 
Ps. in : 9. 



For His 
Name 



244 



Character- Building 



Reverence for 
God's Word 



Respect for 
Superiors 



We should reverence God's word. For the printed 
volume we should show respect, never putting it to 
common uses, or handling it carelessly. And never 
should Scripture be quoted in a jest, or paraphrased 
to point a witty saying. "Every word of God is 
pure;" "as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified 
seven times." 1 

Above all, let children be taught that true reverence 
is shown by obedience. God has commanded nothing 
that is unessential, and there is no other way of mani- 
festing reverence so pleasing to Him as obedience to 
that which He has spoken. 

Reverence should be shown for God's representa- 
tives, — for ministers, teachers, and parents who are 
called to speak and act in His stead. In the respect 
shown to them He is honored. 

And God has especially enjoined tender respect 
toward the aged. He says, " The hoary head is a 
crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteous- 
ness." 2 It tells of battles fought, and victories gained; 
of burdens borne, and temptations resisted. It tells of 
weary feet nearing their rest, of places soon to be 
vacant. Help the children to think of this, and they 
will smooth the path of the aged by their courtesy 
and respect, and will bring grace and beauty into their 
young lives as they heed the command to "rise up 
before the hoary head, and honor the face of the 
old man." 3 



Fathers and mothers and teachers need to appreciate 
more fully the responsibility and honor that God has 
placed upon them, in making them, to the child, the 
representatives of Himself. The character revealed in 



1 Prov. 30: 5; Ps. 12:6. 



2 Prov. 16:31. 



3 Lev. iy :32. 



Deportment 245 

the contact of daily life will interpret to the child, for 
good or for evil, those words of God : — 

"Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord interpreters 

r of God 

pitieth them that fear Him." 1 "As one whom his 
mother comforteth, so will I comfort you." 2 

Happy the child in whom such words as these 
awaken love and gratitude and trust; the child to 
whom the tenderness and justice and long-suffering 
of father and mother and teacher interpret the love 
and justice and long-suffering of God; the child who 
by trust and submission and reverence toward his 
earthly protectors learns to trust and obey and rever- 
ence his God. He who imparts to child or pupil such 
a gift has endowed him with a treasure more precious 
than the wealth of all the ages, — a treasure as enduring 
as eternity. 

1 Ps. 103: 13. 2 Isa. 66: 13. 



Relation of Dress to 
Education 



'in modest apparel. I Ml 

k I M . ' S DAUGHTER IS ALL 
i. l.oR IOUS WITHIN" 



The Teacher's 
Rival 



A Burden in 
the Home 



A TO education can be complete that does not teach 
-l * right principles in regard to dress. Without such 
teaching, the work of education is too often retarded 
and perverted. Love of dress, and devotion to fashion, 
are among the teacher's most formidable rivals and most 
effective hindrances. 

Fashion is a mistress that rules with an iron hand. 
In very many homes the strength and time and atten- 
tion of parents and children are absorbed in meeting her 
demands. The rich are ambitious to outdo one another 
in conforming to her ever-varying styles; the middle 
and poorer classes strive to approach the standard set 
by those supposed to be above them. Where means 
or strength is limited, and the ambition for gentility 
is great, the burden becomes almost insupportable. 

With many it matters not how becoming, or even 
beautiful, a garment may be, let the fashions change, 
and it must be remade or cast aside. The members of 
the household are doomed to ceaseless toil. There is 
no time for training the children, no time for prayer or 
Bible study, no time for helping the little ones to become 
acquainted with God through His works. 
(246) 



Relation of Dress to Education 



247 



There is no time and no money for charity. And 
often the home table is stinted. The food is ill selected 
and hastily prepared, and the demands of nature are 
but partially supplied. The result is wrong habits of 
diet, which create disease or lead to intemperance. 

The love of display produces extravagance, and in 
many young people kills the aspiration for a nobler 
life. Instead of seeking an education, they early engage 
in some occupation to earn money for indulging the 
passion for dress. And through this passion many a 
young girl is beguiled to ruin. 

In many a home the family resources are overtaxed. 
The father, unable to supply the demands of the mother 
and the children, is tempted to dishonesty, and again 
dishonor and ruin are the result. 

Even the day and the services of worship are not 
exempt from fashion's domination. Rather they afford 
opportunity for the greater display of her power. The 
church is made a parade-ground, and the fashions are 
studied more than the sermon. The poor, unable to 
meet the demands of custom, stay away from church 
altogether. The day of rest is spent in idleness, and 
by the youth often in associations that are demoralizing. 

At school, the girls are by unsuitable and uncomfort- 
able clothing unfitted either for study or for recreation. 
Their minds are preoccupied, and the teacher has a 
difficult task to awaken their interest. 

For breaking the spell of fashion, the teacher can 
often find no means more effective than contact with 
nature. Let pupils taste the delights to be found by 
river or lake or sea; let them climb the hills, gaze on 
the sunset glory, explore the treasures of wood and 
field; let them learn the pleasure of cultivating plants 



Source of 
Temptation 



Fashion 
and Public 
Worship 



A Counter 
Influence 



248 



Character- Building 



Higher Aims 



Taste and 

Neatness in 

Dress 



and flowers; and the importance of an additional ribbon 
or ruffle will sink into insignificance. 

Lead the youth to see that in dress, as in diet, plain 
living is indispensable to high thinking. Lead them to 
see how much there is to learn and to do; how precious 
are the days of youth as a preparation for the life-work. 
Help them to see what treasures there are in the word 
of God, in the book of nature, and in the records of 
noble lives. 

Let their minds be directed to the suffering which 
they might relieve. Help them to see that by every 
dollar squandered in display, the spender is deprived of 
means for feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and 
comforting the sorrowful. 

They can not afford to miss life's glorious oppor- 
tunities, to dwarf their minds, to ruin their health, and 
to wreck their happiness, for the sake of obedience to 
mandates that have no foundation in reason, in comfort, 
or in comeliness. 

At the same time the young should be taught to 
recognize the lesson of nature, "He hath made every- 
thing beautiful in its time." 1 In dress, as in all things 
else, it is our privilege to honor our Creator. He 
desires our clothing to be not only neat and healthful, 
but appropriate and becoming. 

A person's character is judged by his style of dress. 
A refined taste, a cultivated mind, will be revealed in 
the choice of simple and appropriate attire. Chaste sim- 
plicity in dress, when united with modesty of demeanor, 
will go far toward surrounding a young woman with 
that atmosphere of sacred reserve which will be to her 
a shield from a thousand perils. 

Let girls be taught that the art of dressing well 

JEccl. 3:11, R. V. 



Relation of Dress to Education 249 

includes the ability to make their own clothing. This 
is an ambition that every girl should cherish. It will 
be a means of usefulness and independence that she can 
not afford to miss. 

It is right to love beauty and to desire it; but God 
desires us to love and to seek first the highest beauty, — 
that which is imperishable. The choicest productions The Hi shesi 

Beauty 

of human skill possess no beauty that can bear com- 
parison with that beauty of character which in His sight 
is of "great price." 

Let the youth and the little children be taught to 
choose for themselves that royal robe woven in heaven's 
loom, — the "fine linen, clean and white," 1 which all the 
holy ones of earth will wear. This robe, Christ's own 
spotless character, is freely offered to every human 
being. But all who receive it will receive and wear 
it here. 

Let the children be taught that as they open their 
minds to pure, loving thoughts and do loving and 
helpful deeds, they are clothing themselves with His 
beautiful garment of character. This apparel will make 
them beautiful and beloved here, and will hereafter be 
their title of admission to the palace of the King. His 
promise is, — 

"They shall walk with Me in white; for they are 
worthy." 2 

»Rev. 19:8. 2 Rev. 3:4. 



The Sabbath 



T 



'it is a sign between he and 
you; that v e man' know that 
1 am jehovah " 



'HE value of the Sabbath as a means of education 
is beyond estimate. Whatever of ours God claims 
from us, He returns again, enriched, transfigured, with 
The sabbath hj s own glory. The tithe that He claimed from Israel 

a Sign ° J 

was devoted to preserving among men, in its glorious 
beauty, the pattern of His temple in the heavens, the 
token of His presence on the earth. So the portion 
• of our time which He claims is given again to us, 
bearing His name and seal. It is "a sign," He says, 
"between Me and you; . . . that ye may know 
that I am Jehovah;" because "in six days the Lord 
made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, 
and rested the seventh day ; wherefore the Lord blessed 
the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." 1 The Sabbath is a 
sign of creative and redeeming power; it points to God 
as the source of life and knowledge; it recalls man's 
primeval glory, and thus witnesses to God's purpose 
to re-create us in His own image. 

The Sabbath and the family were alike instituted in 

The Family Eden, and in God's purpose they are indissolubly linked 

together. On this day more than on any other, it is 

possible for us to live the life of Eden. It was God's 

plan for the members of the family to be associated in 

(250) 'Ex. 31 : 13; 20:11. 



The Sabbath 



251 



work and study, in worship and recreation, the father 
as priest of his household, and both father and mother 
as teachers and companions of their children. But the 
results of sin, having changed the conditions of life, 
to a great degree prevent this association. Often the 
father hardly sees the faces of his children throughout 
the week. He is almost wholly deprived of opportu- 
nity for companionship or instruction. But God's love 
has set a limit to the demands of toil. Over the Sab- 
bath He places His merciful hand. In His own day He 
preserves for the family opportunity for communion with 
Him, with nature, and with one another. 

Since the Sabbath is the memorial of creative power, 
it is the day above all others when we should acquaint 
ourselves with God through His works. .In the minds 
of the children the very thought of the Sabbath should 
be bound up with the beauty of natural things. Happy 
is the family who can go to the place of worship on 
the Sabbath as Jesus and His disciples went to the syna- 
gogue, — across the fields, along the shores of the lake, 
or through the groves. Happy the father and mother 
who can teach their children God's written word with 
illustrations from the open pages of the book of nature; 
who can gather under the green trees, in the fresh, pure 
air, to study the word and to sing the praise of the 
Father above. 

By such associations parents may bind their children 
to their hearts, and thus to God, by ties that can never 
be broken. 

As a means of intellectual training, the opportunities 
of the Sabbath are invaluable. Let the Sabbath-school 
lesson be learned, not by a hasty glance at the lesson 
scripture on Sabbath morning, but by careful study for 



The 

Sabbath and 
Nature 



Bible Sturir 



252 Character- Building 

the next week on Sabbath afternoon, with daily review 
or illustration during the week. Thus the lesson will 
become fixed in the memory, a treasure never to be 
wholly lost. 

In listening to the sermon, let parents and children 
note the text and the scriptures quoted, and as much 
as possible of the line of thought, to repeat to one 
another at home. This will go far toward relieving 
the weariness with which children so often listen to a 
sermon, and it will cultivate in all a habit of attention 
and of connected thought. 

Meditation on the themes thus suggested will open 
"Great t o j-ftg student treasures of which he has never dreamed. 

Reward" 

He will prove in his own life the reality of the experi- 
ence described in the scripture: — 

"Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and 
Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine 
heart."' 

"I will meditate in Thy statutes." "More to be 
desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold. 
Moreover by them is Thy servant warned; 
and in keeping of them there is great reward." 2 

1 Jer. 15:16. 2 Ps. 119:48; 19:10,11. 



Faith and Prayer 



"faith is the assurance ok things 
hoped for," "believe that ye 
receive, and ve shall have" 



F 



AITH is trusting God, — believing that He loves 
us, and knows best what is for our good. Thus, 



instead of our own, it leads us to choose His way. In what is 

, r . . T t • • , • i Faith? 

place of our ignorance, it accepts His wisdom; in place 
of our weakness, His strength; in place of our sin- 
fulness, His righteousness. Our lives, ourselves, arc 
already His; faith acknowledges His ownership and 
accepts its blessing. Truth, uprightness, purity, have 
been pointed out as secrets of life's success. It is faith 
that puts us in possession of these principles. 

Every good impulse or aspiration is the gift of God ; 
faith receives from God the life that alone can produce 
true growth and efficiency. 

How to exercise faith should be made very plain. 
To every promise of God there are conditions. If we Hon ' 

to Exercise 

are willing to do His will, all His strength is ours. Faith 
Whatever gift He promises, is in the promise itself. 
"The seed is the word of God." 1 As surely as the 
oak is in the acorn, so surely is the gift of God in His 
promise. If we receive the promise, we have the gift. 

Faith that enables us to receive God's gifts is itself 
a gift, of which some measure is imparted to every 
human being. It grows as exercised in appropriating 

*Luke 8; II. U'53> 



-54 



C 7/ a racier- B u tiding 



Power of 
God's Word 



Results 
of Faith 



the word of God. In order to strengthen faith, we must 
often bring it in contact with the word. 

In the study of the Bible the student should be led 
to see the power of God's word. In the creation, " He 
spake, and it was; He commanded, and it stood fast." 
He "calleth those things which be not as though they 
were;" 1 for when He calls them, they are. 

How often those who trusted the word of God, 
though in themselves utterly helpless, have withstood 
the power of the whole world, — Enoch, pure in heart, 
holy in life, holding fast his faith in the triumph of 
righteousness against a corrupt and scoffing genera- 
tion ; Noah and . his household against the men of his 
time, men of the greatest physical and mental strength 
and the most debased in morals; the children of Israel 
at the Red Sea, a helpless, terrified multitude of slaves, 
against the mightiest army of the mightiest nation on 
the globe; David, a shepherd lad, having God's promise 
of the throne, against Saul, the established monarch, bent 
on holding fast his power; Shadrach and his companions 
in the fire, and Nebuchadnezzar on the throne; Daniel 
among the lions, his enemies in the high places of the 
kingdom; Jesus on the cross, and the Jewish priests and 
rulers forcing even the Roman governor to work their 
will; Paul in chains led to a criminal's death, Nero the 
despot of a world-empire. 

Such examples are not found in the Bible only. 
They abound in every record of human progress. The 
Vaudois and the Huguenots, Wycliffe and Huss, Jerome 
and Luther, Tyndale and Knox, Zinzendorf and Wesley, 
with multitudes of others, have witnessed to the power of 
God's word against human power and policy in support 
of evil. These are the world's true nobility. This is 

» Ps. 33:9; Rom. 4:17. 



Faith and Prayer 



255 



its royal line. In this line the youth of to-day are 
called to take their places. 

Faith is needed in the smaller no less than in the 
greater affairs of life. In all our daily interests and 
occupations the sustaining strength of God becomes 
real to us through an abiding trust. 

Viewed from its human side, life is to all an untried 
path. It is a path in which, as regards our deeper 
experiences, we each walk alone. Into our inner life 
no other human being can fully enter. As the little 
child sets forth on that journey in which, sooner or 
later, he must choose his own course, himself deciding 
life's issues for eternity, how earnest should be the effort 
to direct his trust to the sure Guide and Helper! 

As a shield from temptation and an inspiration to 
purity and truth, no other influence can equal the sense 
of God's presence. "All things are naked and opened 
unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." He 
is "of purer eyes than to behold evil, and can not look 
on iniquity." 1 This thought was Joseph's shield amidst 
the corruptions of Egypt. To the allurements of temp- 
tation his answer was steadfast: "How can I do this 
great wickedness, and sin against God?" 2 Such a 
shield, faith, if cherished, will bring to every soul. 

Only the sense of God's presence can banish the fear 
that, for the timid child, would make life a burden. Let 
him fix in his memory the promise, "The angel of the 
Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and 
delivereth them." 3 Let him read that wonderful story 
of Elisha in the mountain city, and, between him and 
the hosts of armed foemen, a mighty encircling band 
of heavenly angels. Let him read how to Peter, in 
prison and condemned to death, God's angel appeared; 

•Heb. 4:13; Hab. i : 13. 2 Gen. 39:9. a Ps. 34 ■ 7. 



In Daily Life 



A Shield 

from 

Temptation 



256 



Character- Building 



God's 

Protecting 

Presence 



how, past the armed guards, the massive doors and 
great iron gateway with their bolts and bars, the angel 
led God's servant forth in safety. Let him read of that 
scene on the sea, when to the tempest-tossed soldiers 
and seamen, worn with labor and watching and long 
fasting, Paul the prisoner, on his way to trial and exe- 
cution, spoke those grand words of courage and hope: 
"Be of good cheer; for there shall be no loss of any 
man's life among you. . . . For there stood by 
me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom 
I serve, saying. Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought 
before Caesar; and, lo, God hath given thee all them 
that sail with thee." In the faith of this promise Paul 
assured his companions, "There shall not a hair fall 
from the head of any of you." So it came to pass. 
Because there was in that ship one man through whom 
God could work, the whole ship-load of heathen sol- 
diers and sailors was preserved. "They escaped all safe 
' to land." l 

These things were not written merely that we might 
read and wonder, but that the same faith which wrought 
in God's servants of old might work in us. In no less 
marked a manner than He wrought then will He work- 
now wherever there are hearts of faith to be channels 
of His power. 

Let the self-distrustful, whose lack of self-reliance 
Help for leads them to shrink from care and responsibility, be 
Distrustful taught reliance upon God. Thus many a one who 
otherwise would be but a cipher in the world, perhaps 
only a helpless burden, will be able to say with the 
apostle Paul, "I can do all things through Christ 
which strengthened me."' 2 

For the child also who is quick to resent injuries, 

1 Acts 27 : 22-24, 34. -44- a Phil. 4 : 13- 



Faith and Prayer 



257 



faith has precious lessons. The disposition to resist evil 
or to avenge wrong" is often prompted by a keen sense of 
justice and an active, energetic spirit. Let such a child 
be taught that God is the eternal guardian of right. 
He has a tender care for the beings whom He has so 
loved as to give His dearest Beloved to save. He 
will deal with every wrong-doer. 

"For he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of 
His eye." 1 

"Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in 
Him; and He shall bring it to pass. . . . He shall 
bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy 
judgment as the noonday."" 

"The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, 
a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know Thy 
name will put their trust in Thee; for Thou, Lord, hast 
not forsaken them that seek Thee." :; 

The compassion that God manifests toward us, He 
bids us manifest toward others. Let the impulsive, 
the self-sufficient, the revengeful, behold the meek and 
lowly One, led as a lamb to the slaughter, unretali- 
ating as a sheep dumb before her shearers. Let them 
look upon Him whom our sins have pierced and our 
sorrows burdened, and the}' will learn to endure, to 
forbear, and to forgive. 

Through faith in Christ, every deficiency of character 
may be supplied, ever)- defilement cleansed, every fault 
corrected, every excellence developed. 

" Ye are complete in Him." ' 

Prayer and faith are closely allied, and they need to 
be studied together. In the prayer of faith there is a 
divine science; it is a science that every one who would 
make his life-work a success must understand. Christ 

iZech. 2:8. 2 Ps. 37:5,6. 8 Ps.g:g,io. 'CI. i 



The Criiardiau 
<>i Right 



Complete in 
Christ 



258 



Ch a racte r- B u i I ding 



"Believe That 
Ye Receive' 



Secret Prayer 



says, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, 
believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.". 1 
He makes it plain that our asking must be according to 
God's will; we must ask for the things that He has 
promised, and whatever we receive must be used in 
doing His will. The conditions met, the promise is 
unequivocal. 

For the pardon of sin, for the Holy Spirit, for a 
Christlike temper, for wisdom and strength to do His 
work, for any gift He has promised, we may ask; then 
we are to believe that we receive, and return thanks to 
God that we have received. 

We need look for no outward evidence of the bless- 
ing. The gift is in the promise, and we may go about 
our work assured that what God has promised He is 
able to perform, and that the gift, which we already 
possess, will be realized when we need it most. 

To live thus by the word of God means the sur- 
render to Him of the whole life. There will be felt a 
continual sense of need and dependence, a drawing out 
of the heart after God. Prayer is a necessity ; for it is 
the life of the soul. Family prayer, public prayer, have 
their place; but it is secret communion with God that 
sustains the soul-life. 

It was in the mount with God that Moses beheld 
the pattern of that wonderful building which was to be 
the abiding-place of His glory. It is in the mount with 
God, — in the secret place of communion, — that we are 
to contemplate His glorious ideal for humanity. Thus 
we shall be enabled so to fashion our character-building 
that to us may be fulfilled His promise, "I will dwell in 
them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and 
they shall be My people." 2 



1 Mark 1 1 : 2|. 



- _> i 01. 6: 16. 



Faith and Prayer 259 

It was in hours of solitary prayer that Jesus in His 
earth-life received wisdom and power. Let the youth 
follow His example in finding at dawn and twilight a The Saviour's 

■ .7 . . Example 

quiet season for communion with their Father in heaven. 
And throughout the day let them lift up their hearts 
to God. At every step of our way He says, "I 
the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand; . 
fear not; I will help thee." 1 Could our children learn 
these lessons in the morning of their years, what fresh- 
ness and power, what joy and sweetness, would be 
brought into their lives! 



These are lessons that only he who himself has 
learned can teach. It is because so many parents and 
teachers profess to believe the word of God while their 
lives deny its power, that the teaching of Scripture has 
no greater effect upon the youth. At times the youth 
are brought to feel the power of the word. They see A <--ause 

of Donht 

the preciousness of the love of Christ. They see the 
beauty of His character, the possibilities of a life given 
to His service. But in contrast they see the life of 
those who profess to revere God's precepts. Of how 
many are the words true that were spoken to the 
prophet Ezekiel: — 

Thy people "speak one to another, every one to 
his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what 
is the word that cometh forth from the Lord. And 
they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they 
sit before thee as My people, and they hear thy words, 
but they will not do them; for with their mouth they 
show much love; but their heart goeth after their 
covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very 

Usa. ,|i : ij. 



26o Character- Building 

lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can 
play well on an instrument; for they hear thy words; 
but they do them not." 1 

It is one thing to treat the Bible as a book of good 
The Bible moral instruction, to be heeded so far as is consistent 

to Shape 

the utc with the spirit of the times and our position in the 
world; it is another thing to regard it as it really is, — 
the word of the living God, — the word that is our life, 
the word that is to mould our actions, our words, and 
our thoughts. To hold God's word as anything less 
than this is to reject it. And this rejection by those 
who profess to believe it, is foremost among the causes 
of skepticism and infidelity in the youth. 



Time for 
Prayer 



An intensity such as never before was seen is taking 
possession of the world. In amusement, in money- 
making, in the contest for power, in the very struggle 
for existence, there is a terrible force that engrosses 
body and mind and soul. In the midst of this mad- 
dening rush, God is speaking. He bids us come apart 
and commune with Him. "Be still, and know that 1 
am God. ' ' ' 

Many, even in their seasons of devotion, fail of 
receiving the blessing of real communion with God. 
They are in too great haste. With hurried steps they 
press through the circle of Christ's loving presence, 
pausing perhaps a moment within the sacred precincts, 
but not waiting for counsel. The)' have no time to 
remain with the divine Teacher. With their burdens 
they return to their work. 

These workers can never attain the highest success 
until they learn the secret of strength. They must 

1 I :e; 33: j" 32. -Ts. :• 



Faith and Prayei 

give themselves time to think, to pray, to wait upon 
God for a renewal of physical, mental, and spiritual 
power. They need the uplifting influence of His Spirit. 
Receiving this, they will be quickened by fresh life. 
The wearied frame and tired brain will be refreshed, 
the burdened heart will be lightened. 

Not a pause for a moment in His presence, but 
personal contact with Christ, to sit down in companion- A Precious 

. . Experience 

ship with Him, — this is our need. Happy will it be 
for the children of our homes and the students of our 
schools when parents and teachers shall learn in their 
own lives the precious experience pictured in these 
words from the Song of Songs: — 

"As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, 
So is my Beloved among - the sons. 
I sat down under His shadow with great delight, 
And His fruit was sweet to my taste. 
He brought me to the banqueting-house, 
And His banner over me was love." ' 

1 Cant. 2:3, 4. 



The Life -Work 



"this onk THING I DO' 



A Definite 
Aim 



God's 

Purpose for 

the Youth 



^C T CC£SS in any line demands a definite aim. He 
^-* who would achieve true success in life must keep 
steadily in view the aim worthy of his endeavor. Such 
an aim is set before the youth of to-day. The heaven- 
appointed purpose of giving the gospel to the world 
in this generation is the noblest that can appeal to 
any human being. It opens a field of effort to every 
one whose heart Christ has touched. 

God's purpose for the children growing up beside 
our hearths is wider, deeper, higher, than our restricted 
vision has comprehended. From the humblest lot 
those whom He has seen faithful have in time past 
been called to witness for Him in the world's highest 
places. And many a lad of to-day, growing up as did 
Daniel in his Judean home, studying God's word and 
His works, and learning the lessons of faithful service, 
will yet stand in legislative assemblies, in halls of 
justice, or in royal courts, as a witness for the King 
of kings. Multitudes will be called to a wider ministry. 
The whole world is opening to the gospel. Ethiopia is 
stretching out her hands unto God. From Japan and 
China and India, from the still-darkened lands of our 
own continent, from every quarter of this world of ours, 
comes the cry of sin-stricken hearts for a knowledge of 

(202) 



The Life- Work 



263 



the God of love. Millions upon millions have never so 
much as heard of God or of His love revealed in Christ. 
It is their right to receive this knowledge. They have 
an equal claim with us in the Saviour's mere)-. And it 
rests with us who have received the knowledge, with 
our children to whom we may impart it, to answer their 
cry. To every household and every school, to every 
parent, teacher, and child upon whom has shone the 
light of the gospel, comes at this crisis the question put 
to Esther the queen at that momentous crisis in Israel's 
history, "Who knoweth whether thou art come to the 
kingdom for such a time as this?" 1 

Those who think of the result of hastening or hin- 
dering the gospel think of it in relation to themselves 
and to the world. Few think of its relation to God. 
Few give thought to the suffering that sin has caused 
our Creator. All heaven suffered in Christ's agony; 
but that suffering did not begin or end with His 
manifestation in humanity. The cross is a revelation 
to our dull senses of the pain that, from its very in- 
ception, sin has brought to the heart of God. Every 
departure from the right, every deed of cruelty, every 
failure of humanity to reach His ideal, brings grief to 
Him. When there came upon Israel the calamities that 
were the sure result of separation from God, — subjuga- 
tion by their enemies, cruelty, and death, — it is said 
that "His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel." 
"In all their affliction He was afflicted; . . . and 
He bare them, and carried them all the days of old."* 

His Spirit "maketh intercession for us with groan- 
ings which can not be uttered." As the "whole crea- 
tion groaneth and travaileth together in pain," 3 the heart 
of the infinite Father is pained in sympathy. Our world 

1 Esther 4: 14. 2j U( jg es 10:16; Isa. 63:9. s Rom. 8 : 26, 22. 



Individual 
Responsibility 



God a Sharer 
in Suffering 



264 



Character-Building 



When the 

End 

Will Come 



Mistakes in 
Education 



Selfish Aim 



is a vast lazar-house, a scene of misery that \vc dare not 
allow even our thoughts to dwell upon. Did we realize 
it as it is, the burden would be too terrible. Vet God 
feels it all. In order to destroy sin and its results He 
gave His best Beloved, and He has put it in our power, 
through co-operation with Him, to bring this scene of 
misery to an end. "This gospel of the kingdom shall 
be preached in all the world for a witness unto all 
nations; and then shall the end come." 1 

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to 
every creature,'" 2 is Christ's command to His followers. 
Not that all are called to be ministers or missionaries in 
the ordinary sense of the term; but all may be workers 
with Him in giving the "glad tidings" to their fellow- 
men. To all, great or small, learned or ignorant, old 
or young, the command is given. 

In view of this command, can we educate our sons 
and daughters for a life of respectable conventionality, a 
life professedly Christian, but lacking His self-sacrifice, 
a life on which the verdict of Him who is truth must be, 
"I know you not"? 

Thousands are doing this. They think to secure 
for their children the benefits of the gospel, while they 
deny its spirit. But this can not be. Those who reject 
the privilege of fellowship with Christ in service, reject 
the only training that* imparts a fitness for participation 
with Him in His glory. They reject the training that 
in this life gives strength and nobility of character. 
Many a father and mother, denying their children to 
the cross of Christ, have learned too late that they were 
thus giving them over to the enemy of God and man. 
They sealed their ruin, not alone for the future but for 
the present life. Temptation overcame them. They 



Matt. 2.) : i.|. 



a Mark 16 : 15. 



The Life- Work 265 

grew up a curse to the world, a grief and shame to 
those who gave them being. 

Even in seeking a preparation for God's service, 
many are turned aside by wrorig methods of edu- Absorption 

t t 11 11 '" Study 

cation. Lite is too generally regarded as made up of 
distinct periods, the period of learning and the period of 
doing, — of preparation and of achievement. In prepa- 
ration for a life of service the youth are sent to school, 
to acquire knowledge by the study of books. Cut off 
from the responsibilities of every-day life, they become 
absorbed in study, and often lose sight of its purpose. 
The ardor of their early consecration dies out, and too 
many take up with some personal, selfish ambition. 
Upon their graduation, thousands find themselves out 
of touch with life. They have so long dealt with the 
abstract and theoretical that when the whole being must 
be roused to meet the sharp contests of real life, they ° ut '"' Toiwl ' 

with Life 

are unprepared. Instead of the noble work they had 
purposed, their energies are engrossed in a struggle for 
mere subsistence. After repeated disappointments, in 
despair even of earning an honest livelihood, many drift 
into questionable or criminal practises. The world is 
robbed of the service it might have received; and God 
is robbed of the souls lie longed to uplift, ennoble, and 
honor as representatives of Himself. 

Many parents err in discriminating between their 
children in the matter of education. They make- 
almost any sacrifice to secure the best advantages for 
one that is bright and apt. But these opportunities 
are not thought a necessity for those who arc less 
promising. Little education is deemed essential for 
the performance of life's ordinary duties. 

But who is capable of selecting from a family of 



266 



C/i <t ra etc r- B it i 1 (I i n g 



Whom Shall 
We Educate? 



"A'ot as 
Man Sceth 



children the ones upon whom will rest the most impor- 
tant responsibilities? How often human judgment has 
here proved to be at fault! Remember the experience 
of Samuel when sent to anoint from the sons of Jesse 
one to be king over Israel. Seven noble-looking youth 
passed before him. As he looked upon the first, in 
features comely, in form well-developed, and in bearing 
princely, the prophet exclaimed, "Surely the Lord's 
anointed is before Him." But God said, "Look not 
on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; 
because I have refused him; for the Lord seeth not as 
man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, 
but the Lord looketh on the heart." So of all the 
seven the testimony was, "The Lord hath not chosen 
these." 1 And not until David had been called from the 
flock was the prophet permitted to fulfil his mission. 

The elder brothers, from whom Samuel would have 
chosen, did not possess the qualifications that God saw 
to be essential in a ruler of His people. Proud, self- 
centered, self-confident, they were set aside for the one 
whom they lightly regarded, one who had preserved the 
simplicity and sincerity of his youth, and who, while 
little in his own sight, could be trained by God for the 
responsibilities of the kingdom. So to-day, in many 
a child whom the parents would pass by, God sees 
capabilities far above those revealed by others who 
are thought to possess great promise. 

And as regards life's possibilities, who is capable of 
deciding what is great and what is small? How many 
a worker in the lowly places of life, by setting on foot 
agencies for the blessing of the world, has achieved 
results that kings might envy ! 

Let every child, then, receive an education for the 

1 1 Sam. 16 : 6, ;, io. 



The Life- Work 



267 



highest service. "In the morning sow thy seed, and in 
the evening" withhold not thine hand; for thou knowest 
not which shall prosper, whether this or that." 1 

The specific place appointed us in life is determined 
by our capabilities. Not all reach the same develop- 
ment or do with equal efficiency the same work. God 
does not expect the hyssop to attain the proportions 
of the eedar, or the olive the height of the stately palm. 
But each should aim just as high as the union of human 
with divine power makes it possible for him to reach. 

Many do not become what they might, because they 
do not put forth the power that is in them. They do 
not, as they might, lay hold on divine strength. Alain- 
are diverted from the line in which they might reach 
the truest success. Seeking greater honor or a more 
pleasing task, they attempt something for which they are 
not fitted. Man)- a man whose talents are adapted for 
some other calling, is ambitious to enter a profession; 
and he who might have been successful as a farmer, an 
artisan, or a nurse, fills inadequately the position of a 
minister, a lawyer, or a physician. There are others, 
again, who might have filled a responsible calling, but 
who, for want of energy, application, or perseverance, 
content themselves with an easier place. 

We need to follow more closely God's plan of life. 
To do our best in the work that lies nearest, to commit 
our ways to God, and to watch fin - the indications 
of I lis providence, — these are rules that insure safe 
guidance in the choice of an occupation. 

He who came from heaven to be our example spent 
nearly thirty years of His life in common, mechanical 
labor; but during this time He was studying the word 
and the works of God, and helping, teaching, all whom 

' Eccl. 11 :6, R. V. 



Clioosing nn 
Occupation 



Cause of 
Failure 



268 



Cha racier- Building 



His influence could reach. When His public ministry 
began, lie went about healing the sick, comforting the 
sorrowful, and preaching the gospel to the poor. This 
is the work of all His followers. 

"lie that is greatest among you," He said, "let 
Example m \ ]nn De as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that 

Service 

doth serve. For ... I am among you as he that 
serveth." ' 

. Love and loyalty to Christ arc the spring of all true- 
service. In the heart touched by His love, there is 
begotten a desire to work for Him. Let this desire be 
encouraged and rightly guided. Whether in the home, 
the neighborhood, or the school, the presence of the 
poor, the afflicted, the ignorant, or the unfortunate, 
should be regarded, not as a misfortune, but as affording 
precious opportunity for service. 

In this work, as in every other, skill is gained in 
the work itself. It is by training in the common duties 
of life and in ministry to the needy and suffering, 
that efficiency is assured. Without this the best-meant 
efforts are often useless and even harmful. It is in the 
water, not on the land, that men learn to swim. 

Another obligation, too often lightly regarded, — 
one that to the youth awakened to the claims of Christ 
needs to be made plain, — is the obligation of church 
relationship. 

Very close and sacred is the relation between Christ 
and His church, — He the bridegroom, and the church 
the bride; He the head, and the church the body. 
Connection with Christ, then, involves connection with 
His church. 

The church is organized for service; and in a life of 
service to Christ, connection with the church is ne of 
•Luk< 



Church 
Relationship 



The Life- Work 



269 



the first steps. Loyalty to Christ demands the faithful 
performance of church duties. This is an important 
part of one's training; and in a church imbued with 
the Master's life, it will lead directly to effort for the 
world without. 

There are many lines in which the youth can find 
opportunity for helpful effort. Let them organize into 
bands for Christian service, and the co-operation will 
prove an assistance and an encouragement. Parents 
and teachers, by taking an interest in the work of the 
young people, will be able to give them the benefit of 
their own larger experience, and can help them to make 
their efforts effective for good. 

It is acquaintance that awakens sympathy, and sym- 
pathy is the spring of effective ministry. To awaken 
in the children and youth sympathy and the spirit of 
sacrifice for the suffering millions in the "regions 
beyond," let them become acquainted with these lands 
and their peoples. In this line much might be accom- 
plished in our schools. Instead of dwelling on the 
exploits of the Alexanders and Napoleons of history, 
let the pupils study the lives of such men as the apostle 
Paul and Martin Luther, as Moffat and Livingstone and 
Carey, and the present daily-unfolding history of mis- 
sionary effort. Instead of burdening their memories 
with an array of names and theories that have no 
bearing upon their lives, and to which, once outside 
the schoolroom, they rarely give a thought, let them 
study all lands in the light of missionary effort, and 
become acquainted with the peoples and their needs. 

In this closing work of the gospel there is a vast 
field to be occupied ; and, more than ever before, the 
work is to enlist helpers from the common people. 



Young- 
People' .; 
Societies 



Foreign 
Missions 



270 



Ch a rd cter- B u i Id i ng 



Workers from 

the Common 

People 



Both the youth and those older in years will be called 
from the field, from the vineyard, and from the work- 
shop, and sent forth by the Master to give His message. 
Many of these have had little opportunity for education; 
but Christ sees in them qualifications that will enable 
them to fulfil His purpose. If they put their hearts 
into the work, and continue to be learners, He will fit 
them to labor for Him. 

He who knows the depths of the world's misery 
and despair, knows by what means to bring relief. He 
sees on every hand souls in darkness, bowed down with 
sin and sorrow and pain. But He sees also their pos- 
sibilities; He sees the height to which they may attain. 
Although human beings have abused their mercies, 
wasted their talents, and lost the dignity of godlike man- 
hood, the Creator is to be glorified in their redemption. 

The burden of labor for these needy ones in the 
The saviour's rough places of the earth Christ lays upon those who 
can feel for the ignorant and for such as are out of 
the way. He will be present to help those whose 
hearts are susceptible to pity, though their hands may 
be rough and unskilled. He will work through those 
who can see mercy in misery, and gain in loss. When 
the Light of the world passes by, privilege will be 
discerned in hardship, order in confusion, success in 
apparent failure. Calamities will be seen as disguised 
blessings; woes, as mercies. Laborers from the com- 
mon people, sharing the sorrows oi' their fellow-men as 
their Master shared the sorrows of the whole human 
race, will by faith see Him working with them. 

"The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and 
hasteth greatly." 1 And a world is to be warned. 

With such preparation as they can gain, thousands 

1 Zeph. i : 14. 



The Life- Work 



271 



upon thousands of the youth and those older in years 
should be giving themselves to this work. Already 
many hearts are responding to the call of the Master 
Worker, and their numbers will increase. Let every 
Christian educator give such workers sympathy and 
co-operation. Let him encourage and assist the youth 
under his care in gaining a preparation to join the ranks. 

There is no line of work in which it is possible for 
the youth to receive greater benefit. All who engage 
in ministry are God's helping hand. They are co- 
workers with the angels; rather, they are the human 
agencies through whom the angels accomplish their 
mission. Angels speak through their voices, and work 
by their hands. And the human workers, co-operating 
with heavenly agencies, have the benefit of their educa- 
tion and experience. As a means of education, what 
"university course" can equal this? 

With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly 
trained, might furnish, how soon the message of a 
crucified, risen, and soon-coming Saviour might be 
carried to the whole world! How soon might the 
end come, — the end of suffering and sorrow and sin! 
How soon, in place of a possession here, with its blight 
of sin and pain, our children might receive their inher- 
itance where "the righteous shall inherit the land, and 
dwell therein forever;" where "the inhabitant shall not 
say, I am sick," and "the voice of weeping shall be no 
more heard." ' 



Opportunity 
for Education 



Our 

Children's 
Heritage 



l i>S. 37: 29; Isa. 33: 24; 65:19. 



The U nder-T eache 



R 



"As My Father hath sent Me, even so 
send I you " 



Preparation 



"study to show thyself 
approved unto god" 



r l ^HE child's first teacher is the mother. During 
•*■ the period of greatest susceptibility and most rapid 
development his education is to a great degree in her 
hands. To her first is given opportunity to mould the 
character for good or for evil. She should understand 
the value of her opportunity, and, above every other 
teacher, should be qualified to use it to the best account. 
Yet there is no other to whose training so little thought 
is given. The one whose influence in education is most 
potent and far-reaching is the one for whose assistance 
there is the least systematic effort. 

Those to whom the care of the little child is com- 
mitted are too often ignorant of its physical needs; 
they know little of the laws of health or the principles 
of development. Nor are they better fitted to care for 
its mental and spiritual growth. They may be qualified 
to conduct business or to shine in society ; they may 
have made creditable attainments in literature and sci- 
ence; but of the training of a child they have little 
knowledge. It is chiefly because of this lack, especially 
because of the early neglect of physical development, 
that so large a proportion of the human race die in 
infancy, and of those who reach maturity there are so 
many to whom life is but a burden. 

(275) 



The Mother's 
Opportunity 



Lack of 
Preparation 



276 



The Under- Teacher 



Education 
for Parents 



The Teacher; 

Broad 

Training 



Upon fathers as well as mothers rests a responsi- 
bility for the child's earlier as well as its later training, 
and for both parents the demand for careful and thor- 
ough preparation is most urgent. Before taking upon 
themselves the possibilities of fatherhood and mother- 
hood, men and women should become acquainted with 
the laws of physical development, — with physiology and 
hygiene, with the bearing of prenatal influences, with the 
laws of heredity, sanitation, dress, exercise, and the treat- 
ment of disease; they should also understand the laws 
of mental development and moral training. 

This work of education the Infinite One has counted 
so important that messengers from His throne have 
been sent to a mother that was to be, to answer the 
question, "How shall we order the child, and how shall 
we do unto him?" 1 and to instruct a father concerning 
the education of a promised son. 

Never will education accomplish all that it might 
and should accomplish until the importance of the 
parents' work is fully recognized, and they receive a 
training for its sacred responsibilities. 

The necessity of preparatory training for the teacher 
is universally admitted; but few recognize the character 
of the preparation most essential. He who appreciates 
the responsibility involved in the training of the youth, 
will realize that instruction in scientific and literary lines 
alone can not suffice. The teacher should have a more 
comprehensive education than can be gained by the 
study of books. He should possess not only strength 
but breadth of mind; should be not only whole-souled 
but large-hearted. 

He only who created the mind and ordained its 
laws can perfectly understand its needs or direct its 

ljudges ij: 12. 



Preparation 



277 



development. The principles of education that He has 
given are the only safe guide. A qualification essential 
for every teacher is a knowledge of these principles, and 
such an acceptance of them as will make them a con- 
trolling power in his own life. 

Experience in practical life is indispensable. Order, 
thoroughness, punctuality, self-control, a sunny temper, 
evenness of disposition, self-sacrifice, integrity, and cour- 
tesy are essential qualifications. 

Because there is so much cheapness of character, 
so much of the counterfeit all around the youth, there 
is the more need that the teacher's words, attitude, 
and deportment should represent the elevated and the 
true. Children are quick to detect affectation or any 
other weakness or defect. The teacher can gain the 
respect of his pupils in no other way than by revealing 
in his own character the principles which he seeks to 
teach them. Only as he does this in his daily associa- 
tion with them can he have a permanent influence over 
them for good. 

For almost every other qualification that contributes 
to his success, the teacher is in great degree dependent 
upon physical vigor. The better his health, the better 
will be his work. 

So wearing are his responsibilities that special effort 
on his part is required to preserve vigor and freshness. 
Often he becomes heart-weary and brain-weary, with the 
almost irresistible tendency to depression, coldness, or 
irritability. It is his duty not merely to resist such 
moods but to avoid their cause. He needs to keep the 
heart pure and sw~et and trustful and sympathetic. In 
order to be always firm and calm and cheerful, he must 
preserve the strength of brain and nerve. 



Essential 
Qualifications 



Physical 
Vigor 



278 



The Under- Teacher 



Outdoor 
Labor 



Literary 

Attainments 



A High 
Standard 



Since in his work quality is so much more impor- 
tant than quantity, he should guard against overlabor,— 
against attempting too much in his own line of duty; 
against accepting other responsibilities that would unfit 
him for his work; and against engaging in amusements 
and social pleasures that are exhausting rather than 
recuperative. 

Outdoor exercise, especially in useful labor, is one 
of the best means of recreation for body and mind ; and 
the teacher's example will inspire his pupils with interest 
in and respect for manual labor. 

In every line the teacher should scrupulously observe 
the principles of health. He should do this not only 
because of its bearing upon his own usefulness, but also 
because of its influence upon his pupils. He should be 
temperate in all things; in diet, dress, labor, recreation, 
he is to be an example. 

With physical health and uprightness of character 
should be combined high literary qualifications. The 
more of true knowledge the teacher has, the better will 
be his work. The schoolroom is no place for surface- 
work. No teacher who is satisfied with superficial 
knowledge will attain a high degree of efficiency. 

But the teacher's usefulness depends not so much 
upon the actual amount of his acquirements as upon 
the standard at which he aims. The true teacher is 
not content with dull thoughts, an indolent mind, or a 
loose memory. He constantly seeks higher attainments 
and better methods. His life is one of continual growth. 
In the work of such a teacher there is a freshness, a 
quickening power, that awakens and inspires his pupils. 

The teacher must have aptness for his work. He 
must have the wisdom and tact required in dealing with 



Preparation 



279 



minds. However great his scientific knowledge, how- 
ever excellent his qualifications in other lines, if he 
does not gain the respect and confidence of his pupils, 
his efforts will be in vain. 

Teachers are needed who are quick to discern and 
improve every opportunity for doing good; those who 
with enthusiasm combine true dignity; who are able to 
control, and "apt to teach;" who can inspire thought, 
arouse energy, and impart courage and life. 

A teacher's advantages may have been limited, so 
that he may not possess as high literary qualifications 
as might be desirable; yet if he has true insight into 
human nature; if he has a genuine love for his work, 
an appreciation of its magnitude, and a determination to 
improve; if he is willing to labor earnestly and persever- 
ingly, he will comprehend the needs of his pupils, and, 
by his sympathetic, progressive spirit, will inspire them 
to follow as he seeks to lead them onward and upward. 

The children and youth under the teacher's care 
differ widely in disposition, habits, and training. Some 
have no definite purpose or fixed principles. They need 
to be awakened to their responsibilities and possibilities. 
Few children have been rightly trained at home. Some 
have been household pets. Their whole training has 
been superficial. Allowed to follow inclination and to 
shun responsibility and burden-bearing, they lack sta- 
bility, perseverance, and self-denial. These often regard 
all discipline as an unnecessary restraint. Others have 
been censured and discouraged. Arbitrary restraint 
and harshness have developed in them obstinacy and 
defiance. If these deformed characters are reshaped, 
the work must, in most cases, be done by the teacher. 
In order to accomplish it successfully, he must have 



Administrative 
Ability 



Difficulties 



280 



The Under- Teacher 



Sympathy 
and Insight 



Social 
Relation 



Partiality 



the sympathy and insight that will enable him to trace 
to their cause the faults and errors manifest in his pupils. 
He must have also the tact and skill, the patience and 
firmness, that will enable him to impart to each the 
needed help, — to the vacillating and ease-loving, such 
encouragement and assistance as will be a stimulus to 
exertion ; to the discouraged, sympathy and appreciation 
that will create confidence and thus inspire effort. 

Teachers often fail of coming sufficiently into social 
relation with their pupils. They manifest too little 
sympathy and tenderness, and too much of the dignity 
of the stern judge. While the teacher must be firm 
and decided, he should not be exacting or dictatorial. 
To be harsh and censorious, to stand aloof from his 
pupils or treat them indifferently, is to close the 
avenues through which he might influence them for 
good. 

Under no circumstances should the teacher manifest 
partiality. To favor the winning, attractive pupil, and 
be critical, impatient, or unsympathetic toward those who 
most need encouragement and help, is to reveal a total 
misconception of the teacher's work. It is in dealing 
with the faulty, trying ones that the character is tested, 
and it is proved whether the teacher is really qualified 
for his position. 



Great is the responsibility of those who take upon 
themselves the guidance of a human soul. The true 
father and mother count theirs a trust from which they 
can never be wholly released. The life of the child, 
from his earliest to his latest day, feels the power of 
that tie which binds him to the parent's heart; the 
acts, the words, the very look of the parent, continue 



Preparation 



28 i 



to mould the child fox good or for evil. The teacher 
shares this responsibility, and he needs constantly to 
realize its sacredness, and to keep in view the purpose 
of his work. He is not merely to accomplish the daily 
tasks, to please his employers, to maintain the standing 
of the school; he must consider the highest good of 
his pupils as individuals, the duties that life will lay 
upon them, the service it requires, and the preparation 
demanded. The work he is doing day by day will 
exert upon his pupils, and through them upon others, 
an influence that will not cease to extend and strengthen 
until time shall end. The fruits of his work he must 
meet in that great day when every word and deed shall 
be brought in review before God. 

The teacher who realizes this will not feel that his 
work is completed when he has finished the daily rou- 
tine of recitations, and for a time his pupils pass from 
under his direct care. He will carry these children 
and youth upon his heart. How to secure for them 
the noblest standard of attainment will be his constant 
study and effort. 

He who discerns the opportunities and privileges of 
his work will allow nothing to stand in the way of 
earnest endeavor for self-improvement. He will spare 
no pains to reach the highest standard of excellence. 
All that he desires his pupils to become, he will himself 
strive to be. 



Responsibility 



Self- 

Itnpro vem en t 



The deeper the sense of responsibility, and the more 
earnest the effort for self-improvement, the more clearly 
will the teacher perceive and the more keenly regret the 
defects that hinder his usefulness. As he beholds the 
magnitude of his work, its difficulties and possibilities, 



2X2 



The Under- Teacher 



Our Source 
of Help 



The Highest 
Preparation 



often will his heart cry out, "Who is sufficient for 
these things?" 

Dear teacher, as you consider your need of strength 
and guidance, — need that no human source can sup- 
ply, — I bid you consider the promises of Him who is 
the wonderful Counselor. 

"Behold," He says, "I have set before thee an open 
door, and no man can shut it." 1 

"Call upon Me, and I will answer thee." "I will 
instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt 
go; I will guide thee with Mine eye." 2 

"Even unto the end of the world" "I am with 
you." 3 

As the highest preparation for your work, I point 
you to the words, the life, the methods, of the Prince 
of teachers. I bid you consider Him. Here is your 
true ideal. Behold it, dwell upon it, until the Spirit 
of the divine Teacher shall take possession of your 
heart and life. 

"Reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord," 
you will be "transformed into the same image." 4 

This is the secret of power over your pupils. 
Reflect Him. 



1 Rev. 3 : i 



z Jer. 33: 3; Ps. 32:8. 'Matt. 28:20. 



2 Cor. 3: iS, R. V. 



Co-ope rat i on 



"we are members one ok 

ANOTHER " 



/N the formation of character, no other influences 
count so much as the influence of the home. The 
teacher's work should supplement that of the parents, 
but is not to take its place. In all that concerns the 
well-being of the child, it should be the effort of parents 
and teachers to co-operate. 

The work of co-operation should begin with the 
father and mother themselves, in the home life. In the 
training of their children they have a joint responsi- 
bility, and it should be their constant endeavor to act 
together. Let them yield themselves to God, seeking 
help from Him to sustain each other. Let them teach 
their children to be true to God, true to principle, and 
thus true to themselves and to all with whom they are 
connected. With such training, children when sent to 
school will not be a cause of disturbance or anxiety. 
They will be a support to their teachers, and an example 
and encouragement to their fellow-pupils. 

Parents who give this training are not the ones likely 
to be found criticizing the teacher. They feel that both 
the interest of their children and justice to the school 
demand that, so far as possible, they sustain and honor 
the one who shares their responsibility. 

(283) 



Co-operation 
of Parents 



Sustaining 
the Teacher 



284 



The Under- Teacher 



Acquaintance 
with the 
Teacher 



Teacher's Aid 
to Parents 



Many parents fail here. By their hasty, unfounded 
criticism the influence of the faithful, self-sacrificing 
teacher is often well-nigh destroyed. Many parents 
whose children have been spoiled by indulgence, leave 
to the teacher the unpleasant task of repairing their 
neglect; and then by their own course they make his 
task almost hopeless. Their criticism and censure of 
the school management encourage insubordination in 
the children, and confirm them in wrong habits. 

If criticism or suggestion in regard to the teacher's 
work becomes necessary, it should be made to him in 
private. If this proves ineffective, let the matter be 
referred to those who are responsible for the manage- 
ment of the school. Nothing should be said or done 
to weaken the children's respect for the one upon whom 
their well-being in so great degree depends. 

The parents' intimate knowledge both of the char- 
acter of the children and of their physical peculiarities 
or infirmities, if imparted to the teacher, would be an 
assistance to him. It is to be regretted that so many 
fail of realizing this. By most parents little interest is 
shown either to inform themselves as to the teacher's 
qualifications, or to co-operate with him in his work. 

Since parents so rarely acquaint themselves with 
the teacher, it is the more important that the teacher 
seek the acquaintance of parents. He should visit the 
homes of his pupils, and gain a knowledge of the influ- 
ences and surroundings among which they live. By 
coming personally in touch with their homes and lives, 
he may strengthen the ties that bind him to his pupils, 
and may learn how to deal more successfully with their 
different dispositions and temperaments. 

As he interests himself in the home education, 



Co-operation 



285 



the teacher imparts a double benefit. Many parents, 
absorbed in work and care, lose sight of their oppor- 
tunities to influence for good the lives of their children. 
The teacher can do much to arouse these parents to 
their possibilities and privileges. He will find others 
to whom the sense of their responsibility is a heavy 
burden, so anxious are they that their children shall 
become good and useful men and women. Often the 
teacher can assist these parents in bearing their burden, 
and, by counseling together, both teacher and parents 
will be encouraged and strengthened. 

In the home training of the youth, the principle of 
co-operation is invaluable. From their earliest years 
children should be led to feel that they are a part of 
the home firm. Even the little ones should be trained 
to share in the daily work, and should be made to 
feel that their help is needed and is appreciated. The 
older ones should be their parents' assistants, entering 
into their plans, and sharing their responsibilities and 
burdens. Let fathers and mothers take time to teach 
their children, let them show that they value their help, 
desire their confidence, and enjoy their companionship, 
and the children will not be slow to respond. Not only 
will the parents' burden be lightened, and the children 
receive a practical training of inestimable worth, but 
there will be a strengthening of the home ties and a 
deepening of the very foundations of character. 

Co-operation should be the spirit of the school- 
room, the law of its life. The teacher who gains the 
co-operation of his pupils secures an invaluable aid 
in maintaining order. In service in the schoolroom 
many a boy whose restlessness leads to disorder and 
insubordination would find an outlet for his superfluous 



A Double 
Benefit 



Parents and 
Children 



286 The Under- Tan her 



energy. Let the older assist the younger, the strong 
the weak; and, so far as possible, let each be called 
upon to do something in which he excels. This will 
encourage self-respect and a desire to be useful. 



It would be helpful for the youth, and for parents 
and teachers as well, to study the lesson of co-operation 
as taught in the Scriptures. Among its many illustra- 
tions notice the building of the tabernacle, — that object- 
lesson of character-building, — in which the whole people 
united, "every one whose heart stirred him up, and 
every one whom his spirit made willing." 1 Read how 
the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt by the returned cap- 
tives, in the midst of poverty, difficulty, and danger, 
the great task successfully accomplished because "the 
Bible people had a mind to work."* Consider the part acted 

Examples 

by the disciples in the Saviour's miracle for the feeding 
of the multitude. The food multiplied in the hands of 
Christ, but the disciples received the loaves, and gave 
to the waiting throng. 

"We are members one of another." As every one 
therefore "hath received a 3 gift, even so minister the 
same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold 
grace of God." 4 

Well might the words written of the idol-builders 
of old be, with worthier aim, adopted as a motto by 
character-builders of to-day: — 

"They helped every one his neighbor; and every- 
one said to his brother, Be of good courage.'" 

lEx. 35:21. 2Neh.4:6. 3 R. V. 4 Eph. 4 : 25; 1 Peter 4 : 10. 
''Isa. 41 :6. 



Discipline 



"train, admonish, encourage, 
be long-suffering" 



/~\NE of the first lessons a child needs to learn is the 
^S lesson of obedience. Before he is old enough to 
reason, he may be taught to obey. By gentle, persist- 
ent effort, the habit should be established. Thus, to a 
great degree, may be prevented those later conflicts 
between will and authority that do so much to create 
alienation and bitterness toward parents and teachers, 
and too often resistance of all authority, human and 
divine. 

The object of discipline is the training of the child 
for self-government. He should be taught self-reliance 
and self-control. Therefore as soon as he is capable of 
understanding, his reason should be enlisted on the side 
of obedience. Let all dealing with him be such as to 
show obedience to be just and reasonable. Help him 
to see that all things are under law, and that diso- 
bedience leads, in the end, to disaster and suffering. 
When God says "Thou shalt not," He in love warns 
us of the consequences of disobedience, in order to save 
us from harm and loss. 

Help the child to see that parents and teachers are 
representatives of God, and that as they act in harmony 
with Him, their laws in the home and the school are 
also His. As the child is to render obedience to parents 



Teaching 
Obedience 



Self 
Government 



1 287 ) 



288 



The Under- Teacher 



Breaking 

the war 



Lack of 

Moral 

Stamina 



and teachers, so they, in turn, are to render obedience 
to God. 

To direct the child's development without hindering 
it by undue control should be the study of both parent 
and teacher. Too much management is as bad as too 
little. The effort to "break the will" of a child is a ter- 
rible mistake. Minds are constituted differently; while 
force may secure outward submission, the result with 
many children is a more determined rebellion of the 
heart. Even should the parent or teacher succeed in 
gaining the control he seeks, the outcome may be no 
less harmful to the child. The discipline of a human 
being who has reached the years of intelligence should 
differ from the training of a dumb animal. The beast is 
taught only submission to its master. For the beast, 
the master is mind, judgment, and will. This method, 
sometimes employed in the training of children, makes 
them little more than automatons. Mind, will, con- 
science, are under the control of another. It is not 
God's purpose that any mind should be thus dominated. 
Those who weaken or destroy individuality assume a 
responsibility that can result only in evil. While under 
authority, the children may appear like well-drilled sol- 
diers; but when the control ceases, the character will be 
found to lack strength and steadfastness. Having never 
learned to govern himself, the youth recognizes no 
restraint except the requirement of parents or teacher. 
This removed, he knows not how to use his liberty, 
and often gives himself up to indulgence that proves his 
ruin. 

Since the surrender of the will is so much more diffi- 
cult for some pupils than for others, the teacher should 
make obedience to his requirements as easy as possible. 



Discipline 289 

The will should be guided and moulded, but not ignored 
or crushed. Save the strength of the will; in the battle 
of life it will be needed. 

Every child should understand the true force of the 
will. He should be led to see how great is the responsi- Fa/ue of 

. , r Will Power 

bility involved in this gift. The will is the governing 
power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or 
choice. Every human being possessed of reason has 
power to choose the right. In every experience of 
life, God's word to us is, "Choose you this day whom 
ye will serve." 1 Every one may place his will on the 
side of the will of God, may choose to obey Him, and 
by thus linking himself with divine agencies, he may 
stand where nothing can force him to do evil. In every 
youth, every child, lies the power, by the help of God, 
to form a character of integrity and to live a life of 
usefulness. 

The parent or teacher who by such instruction trains 
the child to self-control will be the most useful and 
permanently successful. To the superficial observer his 
work may not appear to the best advantage ; it may not 
be valued so highly as that of the one who holds the 
mind and will of the child under absolute authority; 
but after-years will show the result of the better method 
of training. 

The wise educator, in dealing with his pupils, will The Sense 

of Honor 

seek to encourage confidence and to strengthen the 
sense of honor. Children and youth are benefited by 
being trusted. Many, even of the little children, have 
a high sense of honor ; all desire to be treated with 
confidence and respect, and this is their right. They 
should not be led to feel that they can not go out or 
come in without being watched. Suspicion demoralizes, 

19 • Joshua 2.) : 15. 



290 



The Under- Teacher 



Requests; 
Commands 



Enforcing 
Rules 



producing the very evils it seeks to prevent Instead of 
watching continually, as if suspecting evil, teachers who 
are in touch with their pupils will discern the workings 
of the restless mind, and will set to work influences that 
will counteract evil. Lead the youth to feel that they 
are trusted, and there are few who will not seek to 
prove themselves worthy of the trust. 

On the same principle it is better to request than to 
command; the one thus addressed has opportunity to 
prove himself loyal to right principles. His obedience 
is the result of choice rather than compulsion. 

The rules governing the schoolroom should, so far 
as possible, represent the voice of the school. Every 
principle involved in them should be so placed before 
the student that he may be convinced of its justice. 
Thus he will feel a responsibility to see that the rules 
which he himself has helped to frame are obeyed. 

Rules should be few and well considered; and when 
once made, they should be enforced. Whatever it is 
found impossible to change, the mind learns to recognize 
and adapt itself to; but the possibility of indulgence 
induces desire, hope, and uncertainty, and the results 
are restlessness, irritability, and insubordination. 

It should be made plain that the government of 
God knows no compromise with evil. Neither in the 
home nor in the school should disobedience be tolerated. 
No parent or teacher who has at heart the well-being of 
those under his care will compromise with the stubborn 
self-will that defies authority or resorts to subterfuge or 
evasion in order to escape obedience. It is not love but 
sentimentalism that palters with wrong-doing, seeks by 
coaxing or bribes to secure compliance, and finally 
accepts some substitute in place of the thing required. 



Discipline 



291 



"Fools make a mock at sin." * We should beware 
of treating sin as a light thing. Terrible is its power 
over the wrong-doer. "His own iniquities shall take 
the wicked himself, and he shall be hoi den with the 
cords of his sins." 2 The greatest wrong done to a 
child or youth is to allow him to become fastened in 
the bondage of evil habit. 

The youth have an inborn love of liberty; they 
desire freedom;. and they need to understand that these 
inestimable blessings are to be enjoyed only in obedi- 
ence to the law of God. This law is the preserver of 
true freedom and liberty. It points out and prohibits 
those things that degrade and enslave, and thus to the 
obedient it affords protection from the power of evil. 

The psalmist says: "I will walk at liberty; for I seek 
Thy precepts." "Thy testimonies also are my delight 
and my counselors." 3 

In our efforts to correct evil, we should guard 
against a tendency to faultfinding or censure. Con- 
tinual censure bewilders, but does not reform. With 
many minds, and often those of the finest suscepti- 
bility, an atmosphere of unsympathetic criticism is fatal 
to effort. Flowers do not unfold under the breath of 
a blighting wind. 

A child frequently censured for some special fault, 
comes to regard that fault as his peculiarity, something 
against which it is vain to strive. Thus are created 
discouragement and hopelessness, often concealed under 
an appearance of indifference or bravado. 

The true object of reproof is gained only when the 
wrong-doer himself is led to see his fault, and his will is 
enlisted for its correction. When this is accomplished, 
point him to the source of pardon and power. Seek to 

1 Prov. 14:9. 2 Prov. 5:22. 8 Ps. 119:45, 24. 



Freedom 

in Obedience 



Criticism ; 
Censure 



Object of 
Reproof 



292 



The Under- Teacher 



Self-Control 



Sympathy; 
Forbearance 



preserve his self-respect, and to inspire him with courage 
and hope. 

This work is the nicest, the most difficult, ever com- 
mitted to human beings. It requires the most delicate 
tact, the finest susceptibility, a knowledge of human 
nature, and a heaven-born faith and patience, willing to 
work and watch and wait. It is a work than which 
nothing can be more important. 

Those who desire to control others must first control 
themselves. To deal passionately with a child or youth 
will only arouse his resentment. When a parent or 
teacher becomes impatient, and is in clanger of speaking 
unwisely, let him remain silent. There is wonderful 
power in silence. 

The teacher must expect to meet perverse disposi- 
tions and obdurate hearts. But in dealing with them 
he should never forget that he himself was once a child, 
in need of discipline. Even now, with all his advan- 
tages of age, education, and experience, he often errs, 
and is in need of mercy and forbearance. In training 
the youth he should consider that he is dealing with 
those who have inclinations to evil similar to his own. 
They have almost everything to learn, and it is much 
more difficult for some to learn than for others. With 
the dull pupil he should bear patiently, not censuring 
his ignorance, but improving every opportunity to give 
him encouragement. With sensitive, nervous pupils 
he should deal very tenderly. A sense of his own 
imperfections should lead him constantly to manifest 
sympathy and forbearance toward those who also are 
struggling with difficulties. 

The Saviour's rule, — -'As ye would that men should 
do to you, do ye also to them likewise," 1 — should be 

1 Luke t> : 31, 



Discipline 



293 



the rule of all who undertake the training of children 
and youth. They are the younger members of the 
Lord's family, heirs with us of the grace of life. 
Christ's rule should be sacredly observed toward the 
dullest, the youngest, the most blundering, and even 
toward the erring and rebellious. 

This rule will lead the teacher to avoid, so far as 
possible, making public the faults or errors of a pupil. 
He will seek to avoid giving reproof or punishment 
in the presence of others. He will not expel a student 
until every effort has been put forth for his reforma- 
tion. But when it becomes evident that the student is 
receiving no benefit himself, while his defiance or dis- 
regard of authority tends to overthrow the government 
of the school, and his influence is contaminating others, 
then his expulsion becomes a necessity. Yet with many 
the disgrace of public expulsion would lead to utter 
recklessness and ruin. In most cases when removal 
is unavoidable, the matter need not be made public. 
By counsel and co-operation with the parents, let the 
teacher privately arrange for the student's withdrawal. 

In this time of special danger for the young, tempta- 
tions surround them on every hand; and while it is easy 
to drift, the strongest effort is required in order to press 
against the current. Every school should be a "city of 
refuge" for the tempted youth, a place where their follies 
shall be dealt with patiently and wisely. Teachers who 
understand their responsibilities will separate from their 
own hearts and lives everything that would prevent 
them from dealing successfully with the wilful and 
disobedient. Love and tenderness, patience and self- 
control, will at all times be the law of their speech. 
Mercy and compassion will be blended with justice. 



The Saviour's 
Rule 



Public 
Discipline 



Justice; 
Compassion 



294 



The Under- Teacher 



Reclaimed by 
Kindness 



Our Example 



When it is necessary to give reproof, their language will 
not be exaggerated, but humble. In gentleness they 
will set before the wrong-doer his errors, and help him 
to recover himself. Every true teacher will feel that 
should he err at all, it is better to err on the side of 
mercy than on the side of severity. 

Many youth who are thought incorrigible are not at 
heart so hard as they appear. Many who are regarded 
as hopeless may be reclaimed by wise discipline. These 
are often the ones who most readily melt under kind- 
ness. Let the teacher gain the confidence of the tempted 
one, and by recognizing and developing the good in 
his character, he can, in many cases, correct the evil 
without calling attention to it. 

The divine Teacher bears with the erring through 
all their perversity. His love does not grow cold; His 
efforts to win them do not cease. With outstretched 
arms He waits to welcome again and again the erring, 
the rebellious, and even the apostate. His heart is 
touched with the helplessness of the little child subject 
to rough usage. The cry of human suffering never 
reaches His ear in vain. Though all are precious 
in His sight, the rough, sullen, stubborn dispositions 
draw most heavily upon His sympathy and love; for 
He traces from cause to effect. The one who is most 
easily tempted, and is most inclined to err, is the special 
object of His solicitude. 

Every parent and every teacher should cherish the 
attributes of Him who makes the cause of the afflicted, 
the suffering, and the tempted His own. He should 
be one who can have "compassion on the ignorant, and 
on them that are out of the way; for that he himself 
also is compassed with infirmity." 1 Jesus treats us far 



'Heb. 5:2 



Discipline 



295 



better than we deserve; and as He has treated us, so 
we are to treat others. The course of no parent or 
teacher is justifiable if it is unlike that which under 
similar circumstances the Saviour would pursue. 



Meeting 

Life's 

Discipline 



Beyond the discipline of the home and the school, 
all have to meet the stern discipline of life. How to 
meet this wisely is a lesson that should be made plain 
to every child and to every youth. It is true that God 
loves us, that He is working for our happiness, and 
that, if His law had always been obeyed, we should 
never have known suffering; and it is no less true that, 
in this world, as the result of sin, suffering, trouble, 
burdens, come to every life. We may do the children 
and the youth a lifelong good by teaching them to meet 
bravely these troubles and burdens. While we should 
give them sympathy, let it never be such as to foster 
self-pity. What they need is that which stimulates and 
strengthens rather than weakens. 

They should be taught that this world is not a 
parade-ground, but a battle-field. All are called to 
endure hardness, as good soldiers. They are to be " Be stroa s' 
strong, and quit themselves like men. Let them be 
taught that the true test of character is found in the 
willingness to bear burdens, to take the hard place, to 
do the work that needs to be done, though it bring no 
earthly recognition or reward. 

The true way of dealing with trial is not by seek- 
ing to escape it, but by transforming it. This applies 
to all discipline, the earlier as well as the later. The 
neglect of the child's earliest training, and the conse- 
quent strengthening of wrong tendencies, makes his 



296 The Under- Teacher* 

after-education more difficult, and causes discipline to 
be too often a painful process. Painful it must be to 
the lower nature, crossing, as it does, the natural desires 
and inclinations; but the pain may be lost sight of in 
a higher joy. 

Let the child and the youth be taught that every 

stepping- mistake, every fault, every difficulty, conquered, becomes 

a stepping-stone to better and higher things. It is 

through such experiences that all who have ever made 

life worth the living have achieved success. 

"The heights by great men reached and kept 
Were not attained by sudden flight ; 
But they, while their companions slept, 
Were toiling upward in the night." 

" We rise by the things that are under our feet; 
By what we have mastered of good or gain ; 
By the pride deposed, and the passion slain, 
And the vanquished ills that we hourly meet." 

" All common things, each day's events, 
That with the hour begin and end, 
Our pleasures and our discontents, 
Are rounds by which we may ascend." 

We are to "look not at the things which are seen, 
The Things but at the things which are not seen; for the things 
which are seen are temporal; but the things which are 
not seen are eternal." 1 The exchange we make in the 
denial of selfish desires and inclinations is an exchange 
of the worthless and transitory for the precious and 
enduring. This is not sacrifice, but infinite gain. 

"Something better" is the watchword of educa- 
tion, the law of all true living. Whatever Christ asks 
us to renounce, He offers in its stead something better. 
Often the youth cherish objects, pursuits, and pleasures 

J 2 Cor. 4:18. 



Discipline 297 

that may not appear to be evil, but that fall short of 
the highest good. They divert the life from its noblest 
aim. Arbitrary measures or direct denunciation may 
not avail in leading these youth to relinquish that which 
they hold dear. Let' them be directed to something 
better than display, ambition, or self-indulgence. Bring 
them in contact with truer beauty, with loftier principles, 
and with nobler lives. Lead them to behold the One 
"altogether lovely." When once the gaze is fixed upon 
Him, the life finds its center. The enthusiasm, the gen- 
erous devotion, the passionate ardor of the youth find 
here their true object. Duty becomes a delight, and 
sacrifice a pleasure. To honor Christ, to become like 
Him, to work for Him, is the life's highest ambition 
and its greatest joy. 

"The love of Christ constraineth." 1 

1 2 Cor. 5 : 14. 



Love That 
Constrains 



The Higher Course 



"Since the beginning oj the world men have 
not perceived by the ear , neither hath the 
eye seen, what He hath prepared for him 
that waiteth for Hivi" 



The 'School of the 
Hereafter 



"they shall see his face; 
and his name shall be in their 
foreheads" 



T TEA VEN is a school; its field of study, the uni- 
■*■ -*■ verse; its teacher, the Infinite One. A branch ot 
this school was established in Eden ; and, the plan of Its Location 
redemption accomplished, education will again be taken 
up in the Eden school. 

"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have 
entered into the heart of man, the things which God 
hath prepared for them that love Him." 1 Only through 
His word can a knowledge of these things be gained; 
and even this affords but a partial revelation. 

The prophet of Patmos thus describes the location 
of the school of the hereafter : — 

"I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first " A Ne ™ 

i 11/- Earth " 

heaven and the first earth were passed away. 
And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming 
down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride 
adorned for her husband." 2 

"The city had no need of the sun, neither of the 
moon, to shine in it; for the glory of God did lighten 
it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." 3 

Between the school established in Eden at the begin- 
ning and the school of the hereafter there lies the whole 

'iCor. 2:9. - Rev. 21 : 1, 2. 3 Rev. 21 : 23. (301) 



302 The Higlier Coarse 

compass of this world's history, — the history of human 
transgression and suffering, of divine sacrifice, and of 
victory over death and sin. Not all the conditions of 
that first school of Eden will be found in the school 
conditions f t j ie future life. No tree of knowledge of good and 
evil will afford opportunity for temptation. No tempter 
is there, no possibility of wrong. Every character has 
withstood the testing of evil, and none are longer sus- 
ceptible to its power. 

"To him that overcometh," Christ says, "will I give 
to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the 
paradise of God." 1 The giving of the tree of life in 
Eden was conditional, and it was finally withdrawn. 
But the gifts of the future life are absolute and eternal. 

The prophet beholds the "river of water of life, 
clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God 
and of the Lamb." "And on this side of the river 
and on that was the tree of life." "And there shall 
be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither 
shall there be any more pain; for the former things 
are passed away." 2 

"All " Thy people also shall be all righteous : 

Righteous " They shall i n herit the land forever, 

The branch of My planting, 
The work of My hands, 
That I may be glorified " ; 

Restored to His presence, man will again, as at the 
beginning, be taught of God: "My people shall know 
My name; . . . they shall know in that day that 
I am He that doth speak; behold, it is I." 4 

" The tabernacle of God is with men, and He will 
dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God 
Himself shall be with them, and be their God." 5 

'Rev. 2:7. 2 Rev. 22 : 1; 22:2, R. V.; 21 : 4. 3 Isa. 60:21. 

4 Isa. 52 : 6. 6 Rev. 21 :3. 



'Teachers 



The School of the Hereafter 



303 



"These are they which came out of great tribulation, 
and have washed their robes, and made them white in 
the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the 
throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His 
temple. . . . They shall hunger no more, neither 
thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, 
nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of 
the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto 
living fountains of waters." 1 

"Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face 
to face:" now we know in part; but then shall we know 
even as also we are known. 2 

"They shall see His face; and His name shall be in 
their foreheads." 3 

There, when the veil that darkens our vision shall 
be removed, and our eyes shall behold that world of 
beauty of which we now catch glimpses through the 
microscope; when we look on the glories of the heavens, 
now scanned afar through the telescope; when, the 
blight of sin removed, the whole earth shall appear "in 
the beauty of the Lord our God," what a field will be 
open to our study! There the student of science may 
read the records of creation, and discern no reminders of 
the law of evil. He may listen to the music of nature's 
voices, and detect no note of wailing or undertone of 
sorrow. In all created things he may trace one hand- 
writing, — in the vast universe behold "God's name writ 
large," and not in earth or sea or sky one sign of ill 
remaining. 

There the Eden life will be lived, the life in garden 
and field. "They shall build houses, and inhabit them; 
and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. 
They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall 



Unto Living 
Fountains " 



Field of 
Nature 



1 Rev. 7 : 14-17. 



2 1 Cor. 13 : 12. 



3 Rev. 22 : 4. 



3<H 



Th c Hig her Co urse 



Field at 
History 



not plant, and another eat; for as the days of a tree are 
the days of My people, and Mine elect shall long enjoy 
the work of their hands." 1 

There shall be nothing to " hurt nor destroy in all 
The Kinship M y hol mount ain, saith the Lord." 2 There man will 

Restored J J 

be restored to his lost kingship, and the lower order 
of beings will again recognize his sway; the fierce will 
become gentle, and the timid trustful. 

There will be open to the student history of infi- 
nite scope and of wealth inexpressible. Here, from the 
vantage-ground of God's word, the student is afforded 
a view of the vast field of history, and may gain some 
knowledge of the principles that govern the course oi 
human events. But his vision is still clouded, and his 
knowledge incomplete. Not until he stands in the light 
of eternity will he see all things clearly. 

Then will be opened before him the course of the 
great conflict that had its birth before time began, and 
that ends only when time shall cease. The history of 
the inception of sin; of fatal falsehood in its crooked 
working; of truth that, swerving not from its own 
straight lines, has met and conquered error, — all will 
be made manifest. The veil that interposes between 
the visible and the invisible world will be drawn aside, 
and wonderful things will be revealed. 

Not until the providences of God are seen in the 
light of eternity shall we understand what we owe 
to the care and interposition of His angels. Celestial 
beings have taken an active part in the affairs of men. 
They have appeared in garments that shone as the 
lightning; they have come as men, in the garb of 
wayfarers. They have accepted the hospitalities of 
human homes; they have acted as guides to benighted 



The Great 
Controversy 



1 Isa. 65 :2i, 22. 



2Isa. 65:25. 



The School of the Hereafter 305 

travelers. They have thwarted the spoiler's purpose, 
and turned aside the stroke of the destroyer. 

Though the rulers of this world know it not, yet 
often in their councils angels have been spokesmen. Ansel 

Ministry 

Human eyes have looked upon them. Human ears 
have listened to their appeals. In the council-hall and 
the court of justice, heavenly messengers have pleaded 
the cause of the persecuted and oppressed. They have 
defeated purposes and arrested evils that would have 
brought wrong and suffering to God's children. To 
the students in the heavenly school, all this will be 
unfolded. 

Every redeemed one will understand the ministry 
of angels in his own life. The angel who was his 
guardian from his earliest moment; the angel who 
watched his steps, and covered his head in the clay of 
peril; the angel who was with him in the valley of the 
shadow of death, who marked his resting-place, who 
was the first to greet him in the resurrection-morning, — 
what will it be to hold converse with him, and to learn 
the history of divine interposition in the individual life, 
of heavenly co-operation in every work for humanity! 

All the perplexities of life's experience will then be Perplexities 

L l * Made Plum 

made plain. Where to us have appeared only confu- 
sion and disappointment, broken purposes and thwarted 
plans, will be seen a grand, overruling, victorious pur- 
pose, a divine harmony. 

There all who have wrought with unselfish spirit 
will behold the fruit of their labors. The outworking 
of every right principle and noble deed will be seen. 
Something of this we see here. But how little of the 
result of the world's noblest work is in this life manifest 
to the doer! How many toil unselfishly and unweariedly 



306 



The Higher Course 



Fruition of 
Life's Sowing 



rhe Heavenly 
Record 



Social Life 



for those who pass beyond their reach and knowledge! 
Parents and teachers lie down in their last sleep, their 
life-work seeming to have been wrought in vain; they 
know not that their faithfulness has unsealed springs of 
blessing that can never cease to. flow; only by faith they 
see the children they have trained become a benediction 
and an inspiration to their fellow-men, and the influence 
repeat itself a thousandfold. Many a worker sends out 
into the world messages of strength and hope and cour- 
age, words that carry blessing to hearts in every land; 
but of the results he, toiling in loneliness and obscurity, 
knows little. So gifts are bestowed, burdens are borne, 
labor is done. Men sow the seed from which, above 
their graves, others reap blessed harvests. They plant 
trees, that others may eat the fruit. They are content 
here to know that they have set in motion agencies for 
good. In the hereafter the action and reaction of all 
these will be seen. 

Of every gift that God has bestowed, leading men to 
unselfish effort, a record is kept in heaven. To trace 
this in its wide-spreading lines, to look upon those 
who by our efforts have been uplifted and ennobled, 
to behold in their history the outworking of true prin- 
ciples, — this will be one of the studies and rewards of 
the heavenly school. 

There we shall know even as also we are known. 
There the loves and sympathies that God has planted 
in the soul will find truest and sweetest exercise. The 
pure communion with holy beings, the harmonious 
social life with the blessed angels and with the faithful 
ones of all ages, the sacred fellowship that binds together 
"the whole family in heaven and earth," — all are among 
the experiences of the hereafter. 



The School of the Hereafter 



307 



There will be music there, and song, such music and 
song as, save in the visions of God, no mortal ear has 
heard or mind conceived. 

"As well the singers as the players on instruments 
shall be there." 1 "They shall lift up their voice, they 
shall sing for the majesty of Jehovah." 2 

"For the Lord shall comfort Zion; He will comfort 
all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness 
like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; 
joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, 
and the voice of melody." 3 

There every power will be developed, every capability 
increased. The grandest enterprises will be carried for- 
ward, the loftiest aspirations will be reached, the high- 
est ambitions realized. And still there will arise new 
heights to surmount, new wonders to admire, new truths 
to comprehend, fresh objects to call forth the powers of 
body and mind and soul. 

All the treasures of the universe will be open to the 
study of God's children. With unutterable delight we 
shall enter into the joy and the wisdom of unfallen 
beings. We shall share the treasures gained through 
ages upon ages spent in contemplation of God's handi- 
work. And the years of eternity, as they roll, will 
continue to bring more glorious revelations. "Exceed- 
ing abundant above all that we ask or think" 4 will be, 
forever and forever, the impartation of the gifts of God. 

"His servants shall serve Him."' 1 The life on earth 
is the beginning of the life in heaven ; education on earth 
is an initiation into the principles of heaven; the life- 
work here is a training for the life-work there. What 
we now are, in character and holy service, is the sure 
foreshadowing of what we shall be. 



Music uud 
Song 



Treasures 
of the 

Universe 



1 Ps. 87 : 



- Isa. 24 : 1 (. 



* Eph. 



308 The Higher Course 

"The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, 
but to minister." 1 Christ's work below is His work 
above, and our reward for working with Him in this 
world will be the greater power and wider privilege of 
working with Him in the world to come. 

"Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am 
God."' 2 This also we shall be in eternity. 

For what was the great controversy permitted to 
witnessing continue throughout the ages? Why was it that 
Satan's existence was not cut short at the outset of 
his rebellion? — It was that the universe might be 
convinced of God's justice in His dealing with evil; 
that sin might receive eternal condemnation. In the 
plan of redemption there are heights and depths that 
eternity itself can never exhaust, marvels into which 
the angels desire to look. The redeemed only, of all 
created beings, have in their own experience known the 
actual conflict with sin; they have wrought with Christ, 
and, as even the angels could not do, have entered into 
the fellowship of His sufferings; will they have- no tes- 
timony as to the science of redemption, — nothing that 
will be of worth to unfallen beings? 

Even now, "unto the principalities and the powers 
in the heavenly places" is "made known through the 
"The Glory church the manifold wisdom of God." And He "hath 
Mysterv" raised us up together, and made us sit together in 
heavenly places; . . . that in the ages to come 
He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in 
His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." 3 

"In His temple doth every one speak of His 
glory," 4 and the song which the ransomed ones will 
sing, — the song of their experience, — will declare the 
glory of God: "Great and marvelous are Tin' works, 

•Matt. 20:28. 2 Isa. .13:12. » Eph. 3 : io, R. V.; 2:6,7. 4 Ps. 29:9. 



The School of the Hereof ley 309 

O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are 
Thy ways, Thou King of the ages. Who shall not 
fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou only 
art holy." 

In our life here, earthly, sin-restricted, though it is, 
the greatest joy and the highest education are in service. 
And in the future state, uhtrammeled by the limitations 
of sinful humanity, it is in service that our greatest joy 
and our highest education will be found; — witnessing, 
and ever as we witness learning anew "the riches of 
the glory of this mystery;" "which is Christ in you, 
the hope of glory." 

"It doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we 
know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; 
for we shall see Him as He is." 

Then, in the results of His work, Christ will behold " He sha11 

Be Satisfied' 

its recompense. In that great multitude which no man 
could number, presented "faultless before the presence 
of His glory with exceeding joy," He whose blood has 
redeemed and whose life has taught us, "shall see of 
the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied." 



Scriptural Index 



Genesis 

I : i 134 

2, R. V 134 

5 • • • • 129 

27 15. 130 

2 : 8, 9, 15 21 

9-i7 23 

3 = 3-5 ■• • 24 

5.6 25 

15 2 7 

17-19 26 

8 : 22 105 

9:16 115 

18:19 187 

28 : 16, 17 243 

22 138 

32 : 29 147 

39 = 9 255 

48 : 15. 16 147 

49 : 7 148 

22-26 53 

Exodus 
3:5 243 

15: i, 2,6-n, R. V. . . . 162 

18-21, R. V 162 

21 39 

■6:3 38 

20: 11 250 

25 : 8 35 

31 : 1-6 37 

13 250 

34 :6 22, 35, 40 

35 : 21 286 

L eviticus 

19 = 32 244 

26 : 3-6 141 

27 '• 3°. 32 138 

Numbers 

10:35. 36 39 

11 : 16, 17 37 



Numbers 

13:30. 31 J 49 

21 : 16; 21 : 17, iS, R. V . 162 

23 : 7-23, K. V 161 

24 :4-6, R. V 161 

16-19 l61 

Deuteronomy 

1:15 37 

4:6 40, 174, 229 

6 : 6, 7 40, 187 

7 186 

8 : 2, 5 39 

10:8 148 

9 149 

11 : 22-25 48 

12 : 19 149 

23:14 38 

26 : 19 40 

28 : 10 40 

20, 32 143 

29: 29 171 

32 : 10-12 40 

47 174 

34 : 10 64 

Joshua 

24 : 15 289 

Judges 

10 : 16 263 

13: 12 276 

/ Samuel 
8:5 50 

16 : 6, 7, 10 266 

22 : 2 152 

2 Samuel 

8:15 152 

7 Kings 
19:21 58 



2 Kings 

2:2 59 

6-15 60 

6:1-7 217 

1 Chronicles 

29 : 15, R. V 165 

2 Chronicles 

20: 1-4, 12 163 

14-17, 20 163 

Nehemiah 

4:6 286 

9:6 130 

• Esther 

4 : 14 263 

Job 

I:8 - 12 155 

2 : 5-7 155 

10 : r 155 

12:7, 8 117 

r 3 13. M 

n ■ 15 156 

H : 13 155 

19 : 7-21, 25-27, R. V. . . 156 

22 : 21 14 

23 : 3-6, R. V 156 

6-10 156 

26 : 7-10 131 

11-14, R. V 131 

28:15-18 18 

29 : 4-16, R. V 142 

21-25 142 

31 : 32 142 

33:24 115 

34 : 22 144 

37 : 16 15, 21 

38 : 4-27, R. V 160 

7 22, 161 

31,32 160 

42: 10-12 156 

(311) 



312 



Scriptural Index 



I Calais 
3:4-8 165 

y : 9, I0 2 37 

11 : 4 '3 2 

12:6 244 

15 : 2. 3 2 36 

2-4 141 

5 22<J 

17 : 4 "9° 

19 : 8 229 

10, 11 252 

23 : 1-4 l6 4 

27 : 1 164 

29 : 9 308 

32:8 282 

33:9 129, 254 

34 : 7 255 

36:9 J 97 

37 : 5, 6 257 

18, 19 141 

29 271 

41:1,2 141 

42 : 11 164 

46: 1, 2; 46: 4-7, R. V .165 

10 . 260 

48: 14 . . 165 

50: 1-3; 50:4-6, R V . 181 

•21 144 

51 : 1-7 165 

63 : 1-7, R. V 164 

73:9-11 144 

78 : 37-39 45 

87 : 7 307 

90 : 17 So 

91 : 9, 10 181 

95 : 3-6 243 

97 : 2, R. V 169 

100: 3, 4 243 

103 : 13 245 

104 : 12, 18 118 

27-30 131 

105:21, 22 53 

42-45 4o 

106:34-36 45 

111:8 30 

9 2^3 

113:2,3 166 

5, 6 .32 

116 : 1-8 166 

119: 11 190 

24, 45 291 

48 252 

72 137 

104-112 |S 



Psalms 

126 :6 105 

139 : 2-6, R. V '. 133 

7-io ^5i 

14 201 

145 : 16 11S 

Proverbs 

2:6 14 

3:1,2 197 

9, 10 140 

17 2u6 

4:7 225 

14 136 

22 197 

5 : 22 291 

6:6 117 

.28 136 

8:S 69 

18 142 

10 : 22 142 

11 : 15 x 3° 

24, 25 140 

12: 18 237 

13 : 4 135 

11, R. V 136 

20 136 

14 : 9 • 291 

23 135 

34 47, 175 

15: 1 114 

2 . ' 225 

16 ; 12 ... 175 

24 197 

31 244 

17 : -'2 197 

27 135 

18:21 235 

15 : 24 136 

19: 17 141 

20 : 3, 19 135 

28 T75 

21 : 6 136 

22 : 7, 16 136 

11 237 

29 135 

23 :4, 5 140 

7 149 

i", 11 136 

21 135 

25 : 28 236, 

26 : 2 146 

is, 19 236 



Proverbs 

27 136 

27 : 18 219 

2S : 20 136 

29 : 20 236 

30:5 244 

31 : 13, 15, R- V 217 

16, 17, 20, 27 .... 217 
30, 31 217 

Ecclesiastes 

2:4-12, 17, 18 153 

3: 11, R. Y 198, 248 

M *, , .. 50 

5 = 8 144 

9 219 

7:12 1 26 

10: 17 206 

II : 1 140 

6, R. \' 105, 267 

Canticles 

2 : 3. 4 261 

11-13, R. Y 160 

5:10,16 69 

8:7,6 93 

Isaiah 
1:17 mi 

iS 231 

3: 10, II .... , . . 146 

7 : 15 231 

9:6 73 

11 : 4 182 

13: 19 176 

14 :23 176 

24 : 1-8 180 

14 3°7 

25:8,9 1S2 

26: 1-4 167 

20 181 

28 : 10 123 

26 219 

32 : 20 log 

Z3-(> 229 

15-17 Mi 

20-22 182 

24 271 

35:8 17" 

10, R. V. ..... . 167 

4°: '2 35 

26-29 116 

41:6 286 

10, 13 116 



Scriptural Index 



3i3 



Isaiah 
41 : 13 259 

43; 12- 154, 3"« 

21 j 74 

45:5 174 

47:i-5 176 

51 : 3 161,307 

52 : 6 302 

53:n 3°9 

54 =9. I0 115 

14 182 

17 155 

55: " 105 

57: 16-19 147 

60: iS 182 

21 302 

61 : 11 105 

63 : 9 263 

65:19 271 

31, 22, 25 . . • ... 304 

66 : 13 245 

Jeremiah 

4 : 19, 20, 23-26 1S1 

6 : 19 14G 

15: '6 252 

I7:n 143 

29 : 11 21, 101 

3<>:7 181 

17. 18 1S2 

31 : 12 167 

33 : 3 127, 2S2 

5i:i3 176 

Erse kid 

1 : 4, 26 17S 

10:8 17S 

12:27, 28 184 

20:37 174 

21 : 26. 27 179 

33 : 3°-32 260 

34:3' 4 176 

Daniel 

1 : 19, 20 55 

2:21,38 175 

- 47 56 

4:11,12 175 

27 '74 

30, 31 1 7<> 

6:4, 25-27 56 

7 :i3 132 

12 : 3 309 



Hose a 
6:3 106 

8 : 12 127 

12:4 147 

14 -5, 7 106 

Joel 

1 : 12, 15-18 180 

Amos 

5:11 143 

Micah 

4 : 10-12 18a 

Nalium 

1 : 3 131 

Habakkuk 

1 : 13 255 

2 : 20 243 

3:3 22 

Zephauiah 

1 : 14 270 

Haggai 

1 : 5-io 143 

2 : 16 143 

Zechariah 

2:8 257 

5:1-4 144 

9 : 16 309 

Malaehi 

2:5. 6 148 

3:8 143 

10 138 

10-12 . ■ ■ 140 

4:2 106 

Matthew 

4:4 126 

5 : 37, R- V 236 

6 : 26, R. V 117 

31-33 138 

7:12 136 

10 :S 8(, 

11:11 158 

28 80 

13 :28 101 

16 : 22 - 88 



Matthew 
18:3 114 

20 : 28 308 

22:39 16 

24 :6. 7 179 

i| 264 

25:40 139 

28: 20 94, 96, 282 

Mark 
3:17 87 

4 : 26-28 104 

2S k6 

8 : 06, 37 145 

11:24 258 

12 :42 109 

13:34 13S 

16:7 90 

15 264 

Luke 

2:40 7 8 

3oS 33, 130 

4 :i8 113 

32 81 

6: 3l 292 

38 103, 140 

8 :n 105, 253 

10:27 16, 228 

12 :23 zoo 

24 117 

33 145 

16:9, R. V 145 

22 : 26, 27 268 

22:27 103 

31-34 ' • • 89 

^fCo^s^. 138 

John 

1:3 134 

4, 14, R. V 28 

9 29, 134 

3:17 79 

* 19 71 

30 157 

4 : 14, R. V 83 

6 : 63 1 26 

64 92 

7:37 n6 

37.3S 83 

46 81 



3H 



Scriptural Index 



John 

12:24 no 

32 "'- 

13:15 78 

34 2 4 2 

14 : 26 94 

15 : 10 78 

15 94 

16:7 94 

13 134 

13-15 94 

23 95 

17:3, R. V 126 

6 87 

21-23 86 

21 : 17, 22 90 

Acts 

4:13 95 

10:38 80 

3:22 48 

14 : 17 66 

16:28 66 

17 : 23, 26, 27 67 

26, 27 174 

20:34 66 

26 : 28, 29 67 

•27:22-24,34, 44 256 

Romans 

1 : 14 66, 139 

20, R. V 134 

29-32 236 

4:17 254 

8 : 22, 26 263 

28 154 

34 95 

35-39 70 

16:25, R. V 126 

/ Corinthians 

2 :g 301 

II 134 

3 : 9 138 

11 3° 

16, 17 36 

17 . . 201 

4--a 139 

9 154 

12, 13 68 

6 : 19, R. V 201 

10:11 50 



/ Corinthians 

13:4. R- V 114 

4-8, R. V. . . . . . 242 

12 303 

15:42.43 IID 

57 126 

2 Corinthians 

3: 18, R. V 282 

4 :6 22, 28 

iS 296 

5:14 66, 297 

17 172 

19 28 

6:10 68 

16 258 

9:6 109 

10: 12 226 

1 1 : 26, 27 68 

Galatidns 

5 :i3 J 39 

6:1 113 

8 109 

Ephesians 

2:6,7 308 

3:10, R. V 308 

20 307 

4:24 27 

25 286 

Philippians 

3:7, 8, R. V 68 

8-10 192 

4:8 235 

13 70, 256 

Colossians 

1 : 16, 17, R.V 132 

19, R. V 30 

27 172, 309 

2:3 13 

10 257 

3 : 23, 24 226 

/ Thessalonians 

2 : 19, 20 70 

2 Thessalonians 

1 : 11 134 

i Timothy 

4 = 8 145 



2 Timothy 

2: 15 '-.61 

3:16,17 171 

4:7 6S 

Hebrews 

1:3 132 

14 103 

2:7 20 

18 78 

4:3 131 

13 255 

15, R- V 78 

5:2 294 

6:7,8 216 

11:3 134 

27 63 

32-40 158 

James 

1:5 191. 231 

17 5° 

1 Peter 

1 : 10-12 183 

12 127 

4 : 8, R. V 114 

10 286 

n 226 

I John 
1:2 84 

3:i-3 88 

2 309 

Jude 

24 309 

Revelation 

1 :i> 3 191 

17, R- V 83 

2:7 302 

3:4 249 

8 282 

7 : 14-17 3°3 

15 : 3, 4, R. V 309 

19:8 249 

21 : I, 2, 23 301 

3- 4 302 

6, R. V 83 

22 : 1; 22:2, R. V. . . . 302 

3 307 

4 125, 303 



General Index 



IBRAHAM as a teacher, 187. 

- ' Accounts, teaching, 238, 239. 

Accuracy, through manual train- 
ing, 222. 

Adam, education of, 14-17, 20-22, 
25-27; temptation, 23-25. 

Aged, respect for, 244. 

Agrarian laws of Israel, 43, 44- 

Agriculture, 34, 43, 219, 220; les- 
sons from, in, 112; see Seed- 
sowing; development of charac- 
ter, 112; opportunity for the un- 
employed, 220. 

Aim, the true, 13, 18, 145, 222, 262, 
267, 297; lack of, 190, 202. 

Amusement, dangers in, 207, 210. 

Anarchy, 228. 

Angels, in Eden, 21 ; songs, 168; 
agency in human affairs, 179, 304, 
305; our companions, 127; pro- 
tectors, 255, 256, 304, 305; co- 
workers, teachers, 271. 

Apostles, training, 84-96; diversity, 

85- 
Application, 232. 
Athletic sports, 210. 

DABVLON, rise and fall of, 175, 

13 176,183. 

Beatitudes, 79. 

Beauty, 41; of the Bible, 188; all, a 
reflection of Christ, 192 ; through 
obedience to law, 198; the high- 
est, 249. 

Bible, as an educator', 17, 47, 52, 
55, 65, 123-192; a perfect whole, 
123; range of style and subjects, 
125; stories, 185; as literature, 
188, 189; the rule of life, 189, 260; 
its own expositor, 190; reverence 
for, 244. 

Bible illustrations from nature, 102, 
104-110, i 13-120, 175. 

Bible teaching and study, example 



of Jesus, 76, 77, 81, 82, 85, 102, 
185; Abraham, 187; mental cul- 
ture, 123, 124, 171, 188, 189; spirit- 
ual, 124-127, 171, 188, 192; pur- 
pose in, 189, 254; original study, 
188; verse by verse, 189; com- 
prehensive, 190 ; opportunities 
for, 191; family, 185, 186; Sab- 
bath, 251 ; results, 192, 252- 
256; "higher criticism," 227. 

Biography of the Bible, David, 48, 
152; Solomon, 48, 49, 153; Jo- 
seph, 51-54, 57; Daniel, 54-57; 
Elisha, 58-61; Moses, 61-64, 68, 
69; Paul, 64-70; John, 87 ; Peter, 
88-91 ; Judas, 91, 92; Jacob, 147; 
Levi, 148; Caleb, 149; Elijah, 
151; Job, 155, 156; Jonathan, 
J 57; John the Baptist, 157; Abra- 
ham, 187. 

Birds, teachers of trust, 118. 

Book knowledge, 230, 265. 

Books, harmful, 188, 190, 226, 227 ; 
wrong use of, 189. 

Business, principles, 135, 136; cap- 
ital, the best, 137; stewardship, 
137-139; profit and loss, 140-145. 

/CALAMITIES, blessings, 270. 

*-' Caleb and Joshua, faith of, 149. 

Censure, 291. 

Character, highest aim, 17-19, 81, 
225; is power, 41, 79, 81, 277, 282; 
influence on, of unselfishness, 16; 
Bible study, 17, 18, 126, 127, 172, 
183, 184, 192; trial, 23, 52, 53, 
295, 296; self-discipline, 57, 296; 
example and association, 87, 237; 
see Example; agricultural labor, 
112; faith and prayer, 258; lesson 
of development from seed, 105, 
106, 1 11; revealed in dress, 248; 
the highest beauty, 249; com- 
plete in Christ, 257. 

(315) 



316 



General Inde v 



Character-building, symbol of, 35, 
36, 258; perils in, 225-228; foun- 
dation, pattern, 228, 229. 

Cheerfulness, 197, 240. 

Cherubim, vision of the, 177. 

Childhood, of Joseph, 52; Moses, 
61 ; Jesus, 77, 107, 185. 

Child training, object-lesson from 
growth of seed, 106. 

Choice, power of, 23, 178, 289. 

Christ, light of world's teachers, 
J 3i 73'. of au mankind, 29; object 
of His mission, 27-29, 73, 74, 
76; condition of world at His 
advent, 74-76 ; and the law, 
76 ; sympathy of, 78-80, 294 ; 
as reprover, 79, 88-92, 294; 
recognized man's possibilities, 
80, 270; power of His teach- 
ing, 81, 94, 95; we complete in, 
192, 257. See Jesus, Prayer. 

Church, attendance, a hindrance to, 
247 ; object of, 268; duties, 268. 

Commission, gospel, for all, 264. 

Communion with God, 14, 21, 28, 
30, 84; through prayer, 80, 258; 
nature, 100, 108, 120; Bible study, 

. 127, 192. 

Companionship, divine, 127, 271. 

Compassion, 257, 294. 

Compensation, life's greatest, 68- 
70, 305, 306, 309. 

Completeness in Christ, 257. 

Concentration, 189. 

Consecration, 57, 25S. 

Controversy, the great, 154, 190; 
revealed in nature, 26, 101 ; in 
man, 29; our study hereafter, 
304- 

Cookery, a branch of education, 
216, 218. 

Co-operation, with God, Bible ex- 
amples of, 37, 286; in our work, 
214, 215, 271; of teachers and 
students, 212, 213,285; parents 
and children, 283, 285 ; parents 
and teachers, 283, 284, 293; with 
Christ and His angels, 270, 271. 

Courtesy, of Daniel, 56; of Paul, 
67; distinguished from etiquette, 
240-242; Christ the source, 241. 

Crisis, impending, 179. 



Criticism, of the teacher, 283, 284; 
of children and youth, 291. . 

piANIEL, life, 54-57, 254 ; book, 



LJ 



191. 



David; education, 49, 152; sin, 48; 
songs, 164, 165; faith, 254. 

Days of creation, 129. 

Deluge, the, and geology, 129. 

Deportment, 240-245. 

Development, threefold, 13, 16, 
j 95; unselfishness underlies, 16; 
all-round, 232. 

Diet, of Israel in the wilderness, 
38; of Daniel, 55; relation of, to 
intemperance, 202-204, 247 ; to 
mental development, 204-206, 
216; stimulating, 203; nutrient 
value of foods, 204; selection, 
combination, 205 ; overeating, 
205; number of meals, 205; reg- 
ularity, 205; hurried eating, 206. 

Discipline, and organization of 
Israel, 37, 38; life's, 85, 151-154. 
295-297; of home and school, 
object of, 287, 291; training the 
will, 288, 289; sense of honor, 
289 ; requests, commands, 290 ; 
rules, enforcing, 290; the Sa- 
viour's rule and example, 292, 
294 ; public, 293. 

Discrimination between right and 
wrong, 231. 

Display. 247, 248. 

Distribution of races, object of , 174. 

Domestic training, 216. 

Doubt, source of, 24, 25; results, 26. 

Dress, healthful, 199; devotion 
to, 246-24S ; counteracting influ- 
ences, 247. 24S ; taste and neat- 
ness in, 248. 

Dressmaking, 216-218, 248, 249. 

T^AGLE, lesson from, 118. 

/-* Earth, original condition, 22; 
God's purpose for, 22, 174; the 
new, 301. 

Eden school, 14, 15, 20-22, 30; re- 
established, 301-303. 

Education, source, 13-17, 21, 22, 
34, 44; scope, 13, 16, iS, 19, 21, 
38, 41, 225, 232, 233; aim, 13, 17, 
is, 41, 8l, 84, 145, 221, 222, 262; 



Ccncral Index 



317 



higher, the true, 14, 18, 30, 66, 

83, 87, 271, 282; relation of, to 
redemption, 15, 16, 18, 19, 28-30, 

84, 126, 172; of Israel, 33-50; for 
parents, 34, 275, 276; for teach- 
ers, 46, 276-282; object-teaching, 
41, 102, 120, 144, 185, 186; mis- 
takes in, 45, 49, 50. 74. 77. 189, 
207, 208, 225-228, 230, 234, 259, 
264-266; illustrations of true, 51- 
70; Christ's method, 73~9 6 . io2 > 
231, 241, 267-271, 294; manual 
training, 214-222; mastery of fun- 
damentals, 234-239. See Nature, 
Bible. 

Education of Jesus, 77, 107, 185, 

267, 268. 
Elijah, one failure, 151. 
Elisha, training and work, 58-61, 

255. 
End of the world, 179-1S4, 264. 
Enoch, faith of, 254. 
Enthusiasm, 233. 
Erring, Christ's work for, 78, 79, 

S7-94, 270, 294; ours, illustration 

from nature, 113; duty of parents 

and teachers, 271, 279, 291-294. 
Error, mingling of, with truth, 231. 
Etiquette, and courtesy, 240, 241; 

best treatise on, 242. 
Evangelizing the world, 95, 96, 

262-271. 
Evolution, of the earth, 128; of 

man, 130. 
Exaggeration, 236. 
Example the power of teaching, 

41, 49, 56, 57, 78, 79, 87 ; 150, 158, 

259, 277, 2S2. 
Executive ability, 17, 220, 222, 279. 
Exercise, physical, 207-213. 
Expelling students, 293. 
Expletive, 236. 

TpAlTH, the key of knowledge, 
■*■ 24; and reason, 24, 231; God 
seeks to encourage, 34; examples 
of, 54. 63, 149. 254, 256; secret of 
power, 54, 80 254; lesson of, 
from the eagle, 118, 119; of the 
sower, 105; reward of, 156, 254; 
Bible evidence for, 169; definition 
of, 253; how to exercise, 253, 257, 



258; teaching of, for the child, 

255-257. 
Family, the, and the Sabbath, 250. 
Family school, 20-22, 33, 40, 41, 

45,- 77, 84, 85, 186, 250^ 251, 275, 

283, 285; see Home. 
Fashion, effect of, on education, 

246, 247; a counter-influence, 247- 

249. 
Fear, to banish, 255. 
Feasts of Israel, 41-43. 
Fellowship with Christ, 63, 65, 69, 

87, 120, 127, 192, 264, 270, 271, 

297. 
Fiction, 227. 

Foreign missions, study of, 269. 
Freedom in obedience to law, 291. 
Fruition of life's sowing, 108, 109, 

306. 

/GARDENING, 21, in, 112, 212, 

^J 213, 219, 247, 248. 

Geography, with mission study, 
269. 

Geology and the Mosaic record, 
128, 129. 

God, false conception of, 75; source 
and upholder of all things, 99, 100, 
104, 130, 131; a personal being, 
131-133; His greatness incom- 
prehensible, 169; reverence for, 
242-244; suffering of, through 
sin, 263; parents, teachers, to 
represent, 244, 245, 287. 

Gospel, in nature, 27, 101; our re- 
sponsibility for, 263; results of 
giving to world, 264; closing 
work of, 269, 270; work of, the 
highest education, 271. 

Gossip, cannibalism, 235. 

Government, its object, 174, 175; 
symbol of, 175. 

Growth, laws-of, 104-106; divine 
agency in, 104, 105. 

Gymnastic exercises, 210, 217. 

IT ABIT, 291. 

■L ■*■ Harvest, lessons from, 105- 
110; life's, 305, 306. 

Hasty speech, 236. 

Healing, natural, spiritual, 113. 

Health, physical, 195; effect of 
mental influence on, 197; the 
teacher to preserve. 277. 



3i8 



General Index 



Heathen, claim of, on Christians, 
262, 263. 

Heaven, education for, 13, 16, 19, 
127; a school, 301. 

Heavenly record, 306. 

" Higher criticism," 227. 

History, Bible, 47, 173-178, 183, 
184, 238; philosophy of, 173, 174; 
a study, in the hereafter, 304. 

Holy Spirit, as a teacher, 95, 134; 
object-lesson of, 106; representa- 
tive of God, 132. 

Home, influence of, 52, 54, 55, 58, 
61, 283; home teaching, 185-187, 
196, 202, 216, 217, 235, 240, 242; 
see Family School. 

Honor, sense of, in the child, 289. 

Humility, 237. 

Hygiene as a study, 195-200. 

TDEAL of character, the highest, 

1 18,73. 

Idleness, 190, 202, 210. 

Idolatry of Israel, 45; of Solomon, 
49. 5o. 

Illustration, 233 ; see Object-les- 
sons. 

Individuality, education to develop, 
•17. 57, 231, 232. 

Industrial school, Israel's, in the 
wilderness, 37; see Manual Train- 
ing. 

Influence, power of early, 52, 55, 
58, 61, 119. 

Innuendo, 236. 

Intemperance, its cause and cure, 
202-204. 

Israelites, education of, 33-70. 

CfACOB, retribution, restoration 

J of, 147. 

[esse, sons of, Samuel's choice, 
266. 

Jesus, early years of, 77, 107, 185; 
as a teacher, 73-96, 102, 231, 241, 
294. 

Jews, education of, in Christ's day, 
64, 65, 74-77- 

Job, a successful career, 142; test- 
ing of, 155, 156. 

Jochebed, mother of Moses, 61. 

John the Baptist, an illustration of 
self-sacrifice, 157, 158. 



John the disciple, training of, 87. 
Jonathan, the faithful friend, 157. 
Joseph, 51-54, 56, 57,255. 
Judas, Christ's dealing with, 91-93. 

L^EY, of knowledge, 24; to Bible, 

-* *■ 120, 126. 

Kingship, man's, lost and restored, 
26, 304. 

Knowledge, of God, basis of edu- 
cation, 13-19, 21, 34, 81; faith the 
key, 24; through Christ, 27-30, 
73, 76. 

Knowledge of good and evil, 
23-27, 231. 

T ABOR dignity of, 214-217, 222. 

■*-^ Land, ownership of, by Israel, 
43; for use of schools, 212, 218. 

Language study, 234-237. 

Law of God, is love, 16, 65, 76, 77, 
287; taught in Eden, 22; one- 
transgression, 25, 26, 150; taught 
to Israel, 34-36, 38-40, 42, 47; 
foundation of national prosper- 
ity, 69, 76, 174, 183, 228, 229; 
universality of, 99, 103, 287; in 
business life, 135-145; teaching 
children, 185, 186; foundation ot 
character, 22S, 229; liberty, 291. 

Law of service, 103. 

Laws, of growth, 104-110; nature's, 
divine. 

Learning by doing, in, 268, 271. 

Levi, curse of, transformed, 148. 

Levites, support and privileges of, 
148. 

Liberality, lesson of seed-sowing. 
109; cultivating, 139-144, 239, 248. 

Life, God the source, 99, 104, 10S, 
197. 

Life-work, 262-271. 

Light of the world, 13, 14, 29, 57, 
58, 73- 

Literature, secular, compared with 
Bible, 188, 189; and morality, 
226, 227. 

Little things, faithfulness in, 53, 58, 
61; God's work perfect, 114. 

Love, the law of God, 16, 65, 70, 
77, 287; basis of education and 
of redemption, 16; has healing, 



General Index 



3i9 



114; the constraining power, 293, 
294, 297. 

TkyfANUAL training, in Eden, 

•*■*■*■ 21; a part of education, 34, 
37. 47, 52, 5 8 . 62, 85, 214-222. 

Manual labor, examples, 66, 77, 
217, 267; for the teacher, 27S. 

Mastership, 52, 53, 56, 57, 66, 204, 
222, 254, 255, 295, 296. 

Meditation, 12.7, 189, 191, 252. 

Memory training, 127, 189; excess- 
ive, 226, 230, 231. 

Methods of teaching, 41, 76-96, 
119, 120, 185-192, 230-239. 

Military schools of Egypt, 65. 

Mind, influence of, on the body, 
197. 

Ministry, 139; the highest, 262-271. 

Miracle of the loaves, 107, 108. 

Missionary work, training for, 221, 
268-271. 

Missionary, every Christian, 264. 

Model school in Eden, 20, 22, 30, 33. 

Money, learning use of, 239. 

Moses, 61-64, 68, 69. 

Mother, of Moses, 61; as an edu- 
cator, 275; education for, 276. 

Music and song, of ancient Israel, 
39, 42, 47; in education, 167, 
168; in the hereafter, 307. 

Mysteries, in nature, 101, 134, 170; 
in character of God, 132, 169; in 
the Bible, 169-172. 

AJATIONAL prosperity, its 

■L V basis, 47, 48, 174. 

Natural aptitudes, 138, 233, 267. 

Nature, revelation of God, 16, 17, 
99; divine working in, 99, 100, 
104, 108, 130, 131, 197, 198; adap- 
tation of means to ends, 119, 133, 
19S; and revelation, 128; laws of, 
divine, 196. 

Nature teaching, in Eden, 15-17, 
20-22; knowledge of good and 
evil, 26, 27; continued, 34, 35, 41, 
42, 52, 62-66, 77, 99-120, 208; 
Christ's use of, 102; key to 
Bible, 120; versus fashion, 247; 
on the Sabbath, 251; in the here- 
after, 303. 



Nature teaching insufficient, T7, 

101, 134. 
Noah, faith of, 254. 
Nursing, training for, 218. 

/~^BEDIENCE, expression of 
^ reve 



.erence, 244; teaching, 287, 



290. 



Object-lessons, 34-43, 47, 120, 144, 
I 75» J $5, 186; Christ's use of, 
102; see Nature, Nature Teach- 
ing. 

Observation, taught in nature 
study, 119; in manual training, 
220. 

Occupation, choosing, 220, 267. 

Old Testament Scriptures, study 
of, 191. 

Outcast classes, Christ's work for, 

79, So, 270. 

Outdoor life, 42, 52, 58, 62, 63, 208, 

211. 
Outdoor work for the teacher, 278. 

pAGAN authors, 226. 

-* Palm-tree, 116. 

Parable of growing seed, 104-107. 

Parents, as teachers, 33, 40, 41, 
185-187, 196, 235, 240, 275, 280; 
education of, 34, 276; Abraham's 
example, 187; Christ's, 294; rep- 
resentatives of God, 244, 245, 
287; co-operation of, in the fam- 
ily, 283, 285; with the teacher, 
284. 

Parties of pleasure, 211. 

Paul, 64-70, 254, 256. 

Perplexities made plain, 305. 

Personal element in teaching, 78- 

80, 84-96, 231. 

Peter, training of, 88-91, 255, 256. 

Physical culture, Israelites an ex- 
ample, 38; importance of, 195, 
196, 277; position, 198; respira- 
tion, 198; voice-training, 199; 
dress, 199; cleanliness, sunlight, 
ventilation, 200. 

Physician, manual training for, 220. 

Physiology, 195-201. 

Plain living, high thinking, 202, 248. 

Pleasure-seeking, 183, 207, 211. 

Poetry, 47; of the Bible, 1 59-161. 

Political ambition, 49. 



General Index 



Poor, God's provision for, 43, 44, 
139, 141, 220. 

Praise, to God, 66, 161-163, 168; 
love of, 237. 

Prayer, examples, 47, 64; Christ's, 
80, 259; reverence in, 243; of 
faith, 257, 258; secret, 258; an- 
swers to, 25K. 

Preparatory school of earth, 19. 

Profit and loss, 140-145. 

Prophecy, in ancient schools, 47; 
gift of, to Daniel, 56; fulfilment 
of, 178; of the world's final 
scenes, 180-182; benefits of study, 
183, 1S4. 

Public worship, a means of educa- 
tion, 168, 252; reverence in, 243; 
a cause of non-attendance, 247. 

J RAINBOW, 115. 

-* *- Reading, unwholesome, 188, 
190, 226, 227 ; excessive, 189. 

Reason and faith, 24, 231. 

Recreation, purpose of, 207 ; teach- 
er's co-operation, 212; in useful 
work, 215; for the teacher, 278. 

Redemption, its purpose, 15, 16, 
28, 29; relation of, to education, 
• 16, 17, 28-30, 126, 172 ; first prom- 
ise, 27; taught in nature, 27. 101, 
113, 115; plan of, key to Bible, 
126; Sabbath a sign of, 250. 

Religion in Christ's day, 74, 75. 

Reproof, Christ's example of, 79, 
89-92 ; its object, 291 ; how to 
give, 294. 

Requests, commands, 290. 

Resentment, 237. 

Respiration, 198, 199. 

Resurrection, symbol of, no. 

Retribution, 108, 109, 146-151. 

Revelation, the, study of, 191. 

Reverence, 242-245. 

Rivalry, 22U. 

River and plain, reward of service, 
103; river and brook, unrecog- 
nized helpers, 116, 117. 

Rules, to have support of school, 
290; enforcing, 290. 

(TABBA TH, a means of educa- 
^ tion, 250-252. 
Sanitation, among the Israelites, 



38 ; in school and home, 200, 
207. 

Satan, insinuator of distrust, 23-25; 
accuser, 154, 155. 

School, of Eden, 20-22 ; restored, 
301-304; heaven, 301. 

Schools, location of, 20, 21, 33, 34, 
211; of the patriarchs, 33; of 
Israel, 34-50; unhealthful condi- 
tions, 207, 208; grounds, beauti- 
fying, 212 ; for manual training, 
218. 

Science, divine, 126, 257; human, 
not Christ's theme, 81 ; and the 
Bible, 128-134; results of false, 
227. 

Scientists, conflicting theories of, 
130. 

Scripture, quoting in jest, 244; see 
Bible. 

Seed-sowing, lessons from, 104- 
112. 

Self-control, relation of, to health 
and temperance, 197, 203, 204, 
206; object of discipline, 2S7-290; 
by parents and teachers, 292. 

Self-distrustful, faith the helper, 
256. 

Self-forgetfulness, 237. 

Self-sacrifice, Paul an example, 65- 
70; Christ, 80; other examples, 
154-158; illustration from seed- 
sowing, no; condition of fellow- 
ship with Christ, 264. 

Self-seeking, Judas an illustration, 
91-93 ; as a motive in education, 
225, 226; results, 264. 

Self-support by students, 221, 265. 

Sermon, to fix in memory, 252. 

Service, aim of education, 13, 65- 
70; law of life, 16, 80 ; taught in 
nature, 103; unrecognized, 116, 
117, 306; ground of obligation, 
I 37> J 39 ! training for, 212-222, 
268; motive in, 226, 268; the 
highest education, 264, 270, 271, 
309; object of the church, 268; 
organization for, 269 ; reward of, 
103,306,308,309. 

Signs of the times, 179. 

Similitudes, 120 ; see Object-les- 
sons, Nature Teaching. 

Simplicity, of life of Jesus, 77. 



Ge?ieral Index 



321 



107; in child-training, 107, 211; 
in teaching, 233. 

Sin, nature and results of, 15, 23-26, 
28, 29, 143-150, 263; its power, 
291. 

Skepticism, causes, 227, 228, 259. 

Sleep, 205. 

Social life, of Israel, 41-43; here- 
after, 306. 

Social relation of teacher and pu- 
pil, 212, 213, 280, 2N4. 

Solomon, life-experience of, 48, 49, 

I52-I54- 

Song, 39, 42, 47, 186, 251 ; earliest, 

161, 162; a means of education, 

162, 167, 168; songs of David, 
164, 165; the Saviour's, 166; in 
the last crisis, 166, 167 ; to meet 
temptation, 166, 168; is worship, 
1 68. 

Spies, the twelve, report of, 149. 
Spiritualism, teaching of, 227, 228. 
Stars, lesson from, 115. 
Statesmanship, 53, 56, 69. 
Stewardship, 57, 137. 
Success, 29, 52, 53, 56, 57, 60, 61, 

68-70, 142, 145, 222, 262, 267, 271, 

306-309. 
Suspicion, 2S9, 290. 
Sympathy, insight, 66, 78,212, 231, 

269, 270, 280, 292; of God with 

human suffering, 263. 

rpABERNA CLE of Israel, illus- 
-*■ tration of character-building, 

35, 36, 258. 

Teacher, privilege and responsi- 
bility of, 19, 29, 30, 244, 245, 281, 
287 ; social relation with students, 
212,213,280, 284; qualifications 
of, 240, 277 ; physical vigor, 277 ; 
literary attainments, 278; admin- 
istrative ability, 279 ; self-im- 
provement, 281 ; highest prepa- 
ration, 282 ; co-operation with 
parents, 284; with pupils, 2S5; 
see Discipline. 

Teachers, great, light from Christ, 
13, 73; in schools of prophets, 46; 
in time of Paul and of Christ, 64, 
65, 74-77 ', of the school of the 
hereafter, 302, 303. 



Teaching, methods, preparatory, 
2 9> 3°. 41, 187, 188, 201, 247 ; 
Christ's, 76-96, 102, 231, 294; 
personal element in, 231, 232, 
278, 281 ; simplicity, 233 ; enthu- 
siasm, 233; thoroughness, 234; 
of physiology, 195-201; language, 
234-237 ; history, 238 ; accounts, 
239; geography, 269; see Bible 
Teaching, Nature Teaching. 

Temperance, 38, 55; aids to, 202- 
206; instruction in home and 
school, 202, 278. 

Temple, the living, 35, 36, 201, 258. 

Temptation, why permitted, 23; 
the first, 24; Christ subject to, 78; 
safeguards against, 166, 168, 190, 
203, 204, 213, 214, 218, 219, 255. 

Theological schools in the time of 
Christ, 64, 65, 77, 85. 

Theology, Christ's teaching of, 81. 

Tithing, 44, 138, 250. 

Trades, teaching in the schools, 
47, 218. 

Tree of knowledge, 23-25. 

Tree, a symbol of government, 175. 

Trees, lessons from, 113, 116, 119, 
175, 267. 

T TNE III PLOYED, opportunity 
• {-J for, 220. 
Unity, 86, 95. 

Unselfishness, underlies develop- 
ment, 16 ; illustrations of, 154- 
158. 

J70ICE, training of, 199. 

* Victory, through defeat, 62- 
64, 68, 69, 147-149, 151 ; inviting, 
162, 163, 165, 168, 256, 258. 

TI/ATER lily, 119. 

VV Will, freedom of, 23, 289 ; 

training, 288, 289. 
Witnesses for God, 154-158, 262 ; 

in the hereafter, 308, 309. 
Workers for Christ, from the com- 
mon people, 85, 270; training of, 
262-271. 

V/'O UNG people's societies for 
■* Christian work, 269. 



BY THE SAME AUTHOR 



Christ's Object Lessons 

A BEAUTIFUL, simple, yet powerful work of intense in- 
terest to all classes of readers. Christ's parables are beau- 
tifully presented and new lessons of great beauty are revealed. 
It is a banner-raiser, a standard-bearer, and a soul-saver. 

Indexed comprehensively, clearly printed, and handsomely 
illustrated. 450 pages. Bound in antique cloth with artistic 
cover design. 

Some of the many testimonials received from leading 
ministers : — 

"Abounds in fruitful suggestions, both spiritual and practical." — H. J. 
Vosburgh, D. D., First Baptist Church, Oakland, Cal. 

"Thoroughly scriptural, wholesome, and evangelical." — Elbert R. Dille, 
D. D., First M. E. Church, Oakland, Cal. 

"An unsectarian, devotional book of unusual purity and sweetness." — 
H. C. Meredith, M. E. Church S., San Jose, Cal. 

"An excellent exposition of the parables of Christ." — W. H. Warner, 
A. C. Church, Napa, Cal. 

"Gives much light upon some of the most important questions of human 
life."— J. K. McLean, D. D., Pres. Pacific Theo. Seminary, Berkeley, Cal. 

PRICE $1.25 



PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY 
11 W. 2oth St., New York OAKLAND. CAL. rS W. $th St., Kansas City, Mo. 



BY THE SAME AUTHOR 



Patriarchs and Prophets 

OR THE GREAT CONTROVERSY BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL, AS ILLUSTRATED 
IN THE LIVES OF THE HOLY MEN OF OLD 

PRECIOUS lessons from the lives of the patriarchs, and the experiences 
of Israel down to the time of David's reign. Written in narrative style. 
Full of new and beautiful thoughts. 766 pages. Prices, cloth $2.25; cloth, 
gilt edges $2 75; library $3.00; half morocco fe.50; full Turkey morocco, gilt 
edges $4.50. 



The Great Controversy 



' I ''HE author says: "The coming struggle will be marked with a terrible 
"*- intensity such as the world has never seen." Such themes as The Im- 
pending Conflict, The Time of Trouble, and God's People Delivered are 
vividly and powerfully presented. 704 pages. Prices same as above. 



Desire of Ages 



' I V HE most beautiful life of Christ ever published. It abounds with prac- 
tical lessons drawn from the living examples of the Man of Galilee. 866 
pages. Prices from $3.50 to $7.00, according to bindings. Narrow-margin 
edition $2.50. Trade edition, cloth $1.50, leather $2.00. 



Mount of Blessings 



o 



NE of the most interesting and instructive books ever written on the 
Beatitudes. 218 pages. Cloth 75 cents. 



Steps to Christ 



DRESENTS in a simple and attractive manner how the sinner can be made 
complete in Christ. 163 pages. Cloth 50 cents. Presentation edition 
85 cents. 

Circulars regarding above works cheerfully supplied by 



PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY 

II W. 20th St., New York OAKLAND, CAL. 18 W.5U1 St., Kansas City, Mo. 



EDUCATIONAL WO R KS 



Living Fountains or Broken Cisterns 

AN EDUCATIONAL I'ROBLEM FOR CHRISTIANS 

By E. A. Sutherland 

Is a history of education showing the responsibility placed upon parents and 
upon the church in ali ages to provide for the spiritual training of the 
children. It advocates a threefold education, the only means of 
developing a perfect character. By repeated reference to leading 
educators, it shows that each generation has produced ad- 
vocates of educational reform. The present duty of 
Christian parents and teachers is clearly indicated. 

"I have read 'Living Fountains' with care. It is an excellent work, and 
the best presentation of educational reform in the truest sense, which I have 
seen. I wish it might be in every family. It should be carefully studied as a 
text-book by parents and by all who have to do with children." — J. H. 
Kellogg, M. D., Battle Creek Sanitarium. 

"I have carefully read 'Living Fountains.' The book sets forth the 
principles and the history of true education, together with the growth of 
Protestantism. I wish it could be placed in the hands of every family. It 
shows the absolute necessity of making the Bible the foundation of Christian 
education. I recommend it to all." — S. N. Haskell, New York City. 

"After carefully reading 'Living Fountains,' I wish to bear testimony to 
the fact that it has opened my eyes to the dangers in the present educational 
system, of which I have been but dimly conscious, and to which, like many 
others, I have given indifferent heed. In my judgment, 'Living Fountains' 
is a strong book, presenting a masterly array of facts to sustain the positions 
taken, and suggesting a remedy that can not fail to commend itself to every 
candid thinker. I believe it will do great good." — Rev. F. A. Harter, 
Webster City, Iowa. 

" 'Living Fountains' has been a great blessing to me, and has brought 
me nearer to God. Every teacher who wishes to become a representative of 
Christian education, should study this book. Parents should read it that 
they may know their duty toward their children." — John Lipke, Principal of 
the Industrial Academy, Brusque, Bra. 

"I am using 'Living Fountains' in my class work, and I am very much 
pleased with it. It is a book that should be read by all." — Frederick Griggs, 
South Lancaster Academy, South Lancaster, Mass. 

Cloth, 425 pages Price, $1.25 



ADVOCATE PUBLISHING COMPANY 

Publishers of Educational Literature 
BERRIEN SPRINGS, MICH. 

REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING COMPANY, Battle Creek, Mich. 
PA CI PIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY, Oakland, Cat. 



E D U CATI X * I L W ORKS 



The Advocate of Christian Education 

A THIRTY-TWO-PAGE MONTHLY 

Advocating the Uniform Development of the 

Mental, Physical, and Spiritual 

Natures of the Child 

It sets forth the Principles of Christian Education as the 
inherent right of every child, the imparting of which rests as a 
solemn duty upon every parent, every teacher, and upon the 
church. 

It deals with The Methods of Christian Education, thus 
rendering valuable assistance to parents in the home, to Sabbath - 
school workers, and to all other teachers of children and youth. 

It records the Progress of Educational Movements in the 
world. Ministers, as leaders of the people, should understand 
educational reform movements. 

Parents, as the first teachers of their children, should study 
both the principles and the methods of Christian education. 

Sabbath -school officers and teachers, and teachers in the day 
schools, are largely responsible for the character of the children 
and youth in their charge. To all these workers the Advocate 
offers practical assistance. 

Price, 50 cents per year 



Address, THE ADVOCATE PUBLISHING COMPANY 

Publishers of Educational Literature 
BERRIEN SPRINGS, MICH. 



STANDARD JUVENILE WORKS 



The House We Live In 

THE MAKING OF THE BODY 

A MOST instructive and entertaining story told by a mother to her 
**■ three children, wherein the building of a house is likened to body 
building. One of the finest child studies on physiology ever published. 
Good, large print; freely illustrated; colored cover design; 218 pages. Price 
75 cents. 

Best Stories from the Best Book 

\\ WRITTEN in primer style, commencing with the simplest primary 
^ * studies and graduated to ordinary reading lessons. A splendid text- 
book for the home. Colored illustrations; 194 pages. Prices 25 cents, 50 
cents, and 75 cents, according to bindings. 



The Gospel Reader 

A NEW book for the young. Most interesting reading for Christian 
-^*- children. Full of practical lessons drawn from favorite Bible incidents. 
Good, clear print and attractive illustrations. 192 pages. Prices, cloth 
75 cents, board 50 cents. 



The Gospel Primer 

AN old standard. By the simplest methods and by carefully graduated 
steps, the child is taught to read, and at the same time the mind is ed- 
ucated in Bible story and Christian principles. 

Send for Circulars 



PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY 

11 W. 20th St., Neru York OAKLAND, CAL. 18 IV. 5U1 St., Kansas City, Mo. 



THE GOSPEL OF HEALTH 



Natural Food of Man 

TJOW to prepare it. Prepared especially for those who wish to discard not 
only meat but all other animal products, such as butter, milk, eggs, 
etc. 96 pages. Price 25 cents. 



A Friend in the Kitchen 

TTHDUR hundred object lessons in healthful cooking. Carefully tested rec- 
ipes for the preparation of good, wholesome dishes from which meat 
is entirely excluded. Price 60 cents. 



Health: How to Find it when it's Lost 
How to Keep it when it's Found 

\ PRACTICAL and interesting treatise on health topics. Much valuable 
■^*- information. Many instructive hints and seasonable recipes. 222 
pages. Price $1.00. 

Send for Circulars 

Standard Health Works 

By Dr. J. H. Kellogg 

Home Hand-Book of Domestic Hygiene, 1675 pages 

Man the Masterpiece, 604 pages Ladies' Guide, 670 pages 

The Art of Massage, 288 pages The Stomach, 368 pages 

By Mrs. Kellogg 
Science in the Kitchen, 295 pages Every-Day Dishes, 184 pages 

Send for Circulars for Descriptions and Prices 



PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY 

11 W. 20th St., New York OAKLAND, CAL. iS W. 5th St., Kansas City, Mo 



9087 



20 



